Flame's Star
by sokobird86
Summary: Set in a somewhat modern AU. Natsu Dragneel is in his last year of high school and has a limited friend group. He feels like most of the student body doesn't even know he exists. At the recommendation of his brother, he unwillingly sets up an account for a chat room and becomes very close to someone special online.
1. Chapter 1

"Oi! Zeref!" I say, as I jog to catch up to my older brother who is on his usual morning run.

"Natsu!" He says breathlessly as he comes to a stop. "What are you doing up this early?"

"Oi! What's that supposed to mean? I can get up early if I wanna!"

"Yes, but you're NEVER up before 10 AM on a Saturday, so what's up? Are ya sick or something?" Zeref says as he places his palm on my forehead to check my temperature like our mother does to our younger sister, Wendy, whenever she's not feeling well.

He does have a good point. I'm usually still sleeping now, but there is a method to my supposed madness.

My older brother, Zeref, came home from college for the holidays this year like he has every other year in the past. However, this year, he came home with a smile plastered to his face that is so wide it makes me sick, and it's STILL there! No, let me rephrase that, it makes me think _he's_ sick.

"I was actually gonna ask _you_ that very same question. You've been in such a good mood ever since you came home from school, so I was wondering if you caught some mystery disease."

He just chuckled. "Yeah, it's called a girlfriend. I don't know if it's contagious, though. Maybe you should keep your distance to be safe."

I roll my eyes unamused and then it hits me "wait, you got a girlfriend?" He nods. "How?"

He and I head in the direction of home when he suddenly feigns offense. "Oh, Natsu, I am hurt. How could you ask that of me? Do you not think I am capable of getting a girlfriend?"

"Honestly? No, at least not without help. It seems that every sane female you talk to runs away from you after the first date."

"Again, I'm hurt, little bro." He turns around to face me since I'm a little behind, thus, walks backwards, faking a frown and just tops it all off by placing his right hand over his heart.

Ignoring his little act, I get to the point, "Alright, how'd you do it?"

A devilish smile crosses his lips and he says lowly, "I'll show you." Then he quickly turns back around and runs into the house leaving me in the dust.

About five minutes later, I make my way into the house and up to my room which I used to share with my brother before he moved out. He does still have a bed here at home but almost all of his clothes and other items are in his dorm room.

I hear him in the shower and just lay down on my bed and wait for him to get out. He's taking FOREVER! Jeez dude, hurry up! You're taking just as long as Wendy.

Another five agonizing minutes pass before I hear the water turn off. Oh my gosh, FINALLY!

He walks into our room in sweats and a thermal shirt with his black hair still damp.

"Oi! There you are! I was beginning to think you drowned in there, you took so long."

He just chuckles and shakes his head like a dog, spraying me in the process. It's funny; if Happy, our cat, saw him do that he would not be so... happy. He'd probably hiss and bare his claws and canines.

Zeref just smirks at me and hops on the computer that we used to share. He types in this url for a website called IT2U or I Talk 2 U. It brings up this chatroom that he 'says' is free and global. I think that's pretty cool. He then signs in as a new user and I furrow my brow confused. "Whatcha doin' there, Zeref?"

"What does it look like, doofus? I'm creating an account for you."

"OH!" I state in realization. I read the username and chuckle "firebreath777?"

He smirks again and says "Oh please, Natsu. With all of the spicy food Mom makes for you, I'm surprised you don't already breathe fire. How do you NOT get sick all the time?"

I just shrug and go with "I dunno, maybe it's one of those traits I inherit from Dad, like my pink hair."

"I don't think it works like that, Natsu," Zeref says as he shakes his head and finishes creating an account for me.

"Now," he starts. "Just type in your own password, that's easy enough for you to remember, and you'll be able to edit your own profile as well as select interests you have that can help you find some people to talk to. Ya know, outside of Erza and Gray."

"Oi! What're ya tryin' to say? I need more friends? What's wrong with the ones I got?"

"Nothing! Nothing at all! I just thought since you were so interested in how I got my girlfriend, Mavis, I thought I might show you and let you try it out for yourself."

"Oh... but... why do you think I need this?"

"I just think you would be happier too if you had someone special like I do. I'm just lookin' out for you, little bro."

I grunt a thanks at him and he walks away from the computer leaving me with this incomplete profile and a million thoughts buzzing through my brain.

 **Hello readers. So, let me start off by saying that this is not my original idea. I saw this idea on another fanfic site as a one-shot and I thought that it was such a great idea and that I needed to know what happened next. So, I thought I would start over, with the same idea, and just elaborate on it... a lot! I did change a few things from the original story but I thought a few things were just so clever that I left them in.**

 **This is my first fanfic on here and I want to know what you guys think of this. Please leave a review to let me know what you think and a fav if you enjoyed.**

 **Byeeeeeee!**


	2. Chapter 2

I sit at my desk for what feels like ten minutes, just staring at my monitor. It could even be longer than that but who knows? I sure don't. And I have no idea what I'm even doing here. Why did Zeref _really_ show me this website? _Think_ Natsu, THINK!

What if he's right? I mean, I only get to talk to my friends during lunch but even that is challenging sometimes since Erza is almost _always_ busy with student council and Gray has a new girlfriend named Juvia who won't leave his side even to let him go to the bathroom. So, after school, I'm usually heading home alone as a result.

Aside from those two, I can't really call too many other people my friends since I haven't really known anyone else as long as I've known Gray and Erza. I mean, the three of us have known each other since we were kids. Well, there is also Lisanna but she moved away before we even got into high school. I do still talk to her every once in a while but it's just not the same without her here.

Alright, that's it. I'll do it. I hate that Zeref's right, but he usually is... especially when he went through the same thing himself.

About an hour later, I've written all my basic information and interests down that I need to such as favorite genre of music, which is rock, favorite television genre, which is anime, and other things like that. When I'm done, I have my profile all set up. I've chosen my little icon as a flame because why the hell not? Zeref started the fire thing with my username so I'll just continue on with it.

Almost immediately after I complete my profile and it says I'm online, I see someone wants to chat with me. 'Well, that was fast,' I think to myself. Hmm... _Starlia784._ I check out this person's profile. I notice that this person is a girl, she has almost all the same interests as me, and she lives in my area. I wonder if she goes to my school…

That would be great if she does.

 ***.***

 _Starlia784_ : Hello, firebreath _777_

 _firebreath777_ : Hey, Starlia784

 _firebreath777_ : You can just call me Sal if that's easier for ya

 _firebreath777_ : It's short for Salamander

 _firebreath777_ : A nickname my cousin gave me a while back

 _firebreath777_ : he said it once and it just kinda stuck

 _Starlia784_ : Oh, well, then hey Sal

 _Starlia784_ : You can call me Star if you want to

 _Starlia784_ : It's what my mom used to call me before she passed away

 _firebreath777_ : Awwww, that's both sad and sweet at the same time.

 _firebreath777_ : I'm sorry that she passed

 _Starlia784_ : Uhhh, thanks?

 _firebreath777_ : I'm sorry, Star

f _irebreath777_ : I'm very new at this and I blame my brother 100% for setting this account up for me

 _Starlia784_ : Oh, no worries

 _Starlia784_ : I'm relatively new at this myself

 _Starlia784_ : And wait, "blame him"?

 _Starlia784_ : Why?

 _firebreath777_ : He kinda tricked me into it and already created the account before he started explaining anything

 _firebreath777_ : That's what the firebreath is from

 _firebreath777_ : My brother being a complete ass and making fun of the fact that I like spicy food

 _firebreath777_ : He said, and I quote, "With all the spicy food Mom makes for you, I'm surprised you don't already breathe fire"

 _Starlia784_ : Hahahahaha!

 _Starlia784_ : That's amazing!

 _Starlia784_ : So, you like spicy food?

 _firebreath777_ : Yeah, it's practically all I eat

 _firebreath777_ : How 'bout you?

 _Starlia784_ : OH HELL NO!

 _Starlia784_ : I am NOT a fan of spicy food

 _Starlia784_ : You can keep all that for yourself, thank you.

 _firebreath777_ : Will do, Star!

 _Starlia784_ : Haha great!

 _Starlia784_ : So...

 _Starlia784_ : Tell me more about yourself

 _Starlia784_ : Like, what anime do you watch?

 _Starlia784_ : What else do you do for fun?

 _Starlia784_ : Do you have any other siblings?

 _Starlia784_ : Do you have any pets?

 _Starlia784_ : What artists do you listen to?

 _firebreath777_ : Oi! One question at a time, girl!

 _firebreath777_ : And if I answer one you have to answer the same one

 _firebreath777_ : Fair?

 _Starlia784_ : *sighs dramatically* Yeah, I guess so...

 _firebreath777_ : LOL

 _firebreath777_ : You're funny, Star

 _firebreath777_ : So where do you want me to start?

 _firebreath777_ : The top?

 _Starlia784_ : Uhhh yeah but hold that thought

 ***.***

Well, this is weird.

 ***.***

 _firebreath777_ :?

 _Starlia784_ : Sorry Sal

 _Starlia784:_ My father is kicking me off the computer

 _Starlia784_ : He says we have to go do some stuff today in town so he wants me to shower and get ready

 _Starlia784_ : But as soon as I get the chance I will message you again

 _Starlia784_ : I promise!

 ** _Starlia784 is away..._**

 ***.***

Bye, Star. Hopefully I get to talk to you again soon.

"ZEREF!" I yell down the stairs to my brother. He comes running up the stairs with a smug look on his face.

"So? How'd it go? I heard a couple of chuckles come from up here."

"I hate when you're right," I mumble when he finally enters the bedroom.

I look at him, he looks at me, and then we both burst out laughing after a few seconds of staring at each other. Once we calm down he says "So, seriously, was I right or what?"

"Or what?" He raises his eyebrows at me in an 'are you kidding me?' sort of way. I give him a cheeky grin and then say "Yeah, you were right. I don't know how you do it, but you always seem to know what my problems are before I even do."

"Oh, and the person I was talking to... her name is Star. Well, her nickname is anyway. She didn't exactly give me her real name."

"Well, there's a start," he says positively. I nod.

"She's also got a good sense of humor," I add.

"How do you figure that?" Zeref asks me curiously.

"I told her how I got started on the website and how you came up with my username. She immediately laughed and said that was amazing. I also mentioned the nickname Gajeel gave me which ties into your firebreath name... She didn't say much about that but didn't think it was weird. At least if she did, she didn't say anything about it."

Zeref smirks at me and says, "I think my little brother has a crush."

I widen my eyes and my face heats up. Shit! "Uhhhh..."

"Don't worry, Natsu. I won't tell mom... yet."

"Yet? But that does mean you will tell her eventually... please don't, Zeref. She's gonna torture me to no end."

"Be ready," is all he says to me as he goes down to the kitchen to eat some lunch.

* * *

 **I am SO happy you guys like this so far. I was a little nervous to publish this at first but the first few reviews I received were positive and told me to continue, so I shall.**

 **I would also like to thank the guest reader that caught my little mistake in the last chapter. Don't worry, I fixed it and now there should be no repeats in the last chapter. Believe it or not, I actually did the same thing in this chapter too but I caught myself as I was writing it. And if there are any mistakes that I make either grammatically or otherwise, please don't be afraid to let me know. I will gladly take all of the creative criticism you folks give me.**


	3. Chapter 3

Two days have passed since I last heard from Star. It is now Monday morning and I have to go to school. I'm not looking forward to this. Today is going to be the same as every other day at school: get to class, see my few friends briefly throughout the day, if at all, and then head home from there... most likely alone. Well, let's get this over with already.

I walk to school like I do every morning since I absolutely despise transportation. It doesn't take that long: twenty minutes at most. By the time I get to campus, I have about ten minutes before classes start. That's just enough time to get my books and head to class. As I'm walking to class, I'm not really paying attention to where I'm going and accidentally bump into someone that falls to the ground with a high pitched "Oof!"

Well, this is new. I just ran into the girl I've been crushing on since she transferred a few months ago at the beginning of the semester, Lucy Heartfillia. She's in a bunch of my classes but she sits at the other end of the classroom so I don't get to talk to her that often. Of course, I would never tell her. I never even expected to run into her like this...

"Ow! I feel like I just ran into a brick wall," she mumbles as she rubs her head and pouts. She looks up at me almost in shock and stutters, "N-Natsu!"

I didn't think she knew who I was. This is _definitely_ new. However, I don't think about it right now and instead, start laughing at what she first said and offer her my hand to help her up.

"What's so funny?" she asks me as I help her off the ground.

"You are, Lucy. Or rather, what you just said."

Her face turned as red as a beet in embarrassment. "You heard that?"

I nod and chuckle to myself. "You weren't exactly quiet just now."

She pouts again and puffs out her cheeks in frustration. Then, a smirk slowly crosses her lips and she says "Well, I'll see ya later 'brick wall,' and hopefully I don't run into you like that again."

'Oh, but I'm hoping you do,' I think to myself. She smiles at me and walks away towards what I'm assuming is her first class and surprisingly, I don't share it with her.

The day went by pretty much as uneventful as it usually does after that incident with Lucy this morning. I mean, I did catch myself staring at her a few times throughout the day whenever I would think about the cute face she made whenever she pouts. I just tried to play it off as I was staring into space but I don't know if she bought it. Today was also one of the rare days that I got to have lunch with both of my friends since Erza didn't have anything to do with the student council. It's almost our holiday break, so she got a break as well. Gray also managed to keep Juvia out of his lap this time and his attention on the rest of us unlike most other times where they're either sitting there whispering to each other (which I _know_ Gray knows I can hear) or making out. Sometimes it's even both.

As soon as the bell rang to signal the end of the final class of the day, I bolted to my locker, dropped my books off and started heading home. I don't know why, but I was so curious to see if Star ever messaged me, that I almost started running.

I made it home in record time of fifteen minutes, not that I was keeping track or anything, but as soon as I made it inside, I quickly said hello to Wendy, grabbed Happy and made my way to my room.

As expected, Zeref was lying down on his bed talking to his girlfriend. He had his headphones on, so it was kind of awkward hearing one side of a conversation I did NOT need to hear the rest of to know what they were talking about.

I placed Happy on my bed, tried to ignore Zeref as best I could and hopped onto the computer at my desk, putting on my own headphones to try and muffle his conversation. I felt kinda bad for Happy, though... poor little guy. Headphones are a genius invention. They worked surprisingly well, and by the time I had the computer all set and ready to log in, I couldn't hear him anymore. I log into IT2U and see that I have a new message.

 ***.***

 _Starlia784_ : Hey, Sal!

 _Starlia784_ : How's it going?

 ***.***

YES! I have been waiting ALL WEEKEND for this! Okay, Natsu... play it cool.

 ***.***

 _firebreath777_ : Hey, Star!

 _firebreath777_ : It's going good.

 _firebreath777_ : How was your weekend?

 _Starlia784_ :Ugh, horrible.

 _firebreath777_ : Uh oh...

 _firebreath777_ : sorry I asked...

 _Starlia784_ : My father keeps insisting on getting involved in my social life

 _Starlia784_ : He says the friends I have aren't good enough

 _Starlia784_ : He doesn't even _know_ them so how does he have the right to say that?

 _Starlia784_ : And I haven't even told him about you, yet

 _Starlia784_ : I mean, it's hard to have girl friends with him watching my back almost every hour of every day

 _Starlia784_ : If I even mentioned I had a guy friend he would go ballistic!

 _firebreath777_ : Uhhh, Star?

 _Starlia784_ : Yeah?

 _firebreath777_ : You need to take a deep breath because you're rambling.

 _Starlia784_ : Oh, I'm sorry Sal

 _Starlia784_ : I didn't realize

 _Starlia784_ : It's just so frustrating living with him somedays

 _firebreath777_ : Yeah

 _firebreath777_ : I kinda figured that part out haha

 _Starlia784_ : But I'll stop if it's bothering you

 _firebreath777_ : No, I don't mind :)

 _firebreath777_ : We all have those days

 _firebreath777_ : You can vent all you want

 _firebreath777_ : Just take a break for a few minutes

 _firebreath777_ : I don't think your keyboard can handle so much anger and frustration all at once

 _Starlia784_ : Ya know what, Sal? That's probably a good idea

 _Starlia784_ : Hey, I have an idea!

 _Starlia784_ : How bout you answer some of those questions I asked you the other day since my pain in the ass father interrupted us on Saturday.

 _Starlia784_ : You still remember them all, right? :P

 ***.***

Shit! No, not all of them.

 ***.***

 _firebreath777_ : Uhhh, sorta...

 _firebreath777_ : but I wouldn't worry too much

 _firebreath777_ : I can go back and find them all

 _Starlia784_ : Good :)

 ***.***

Well, it looks like I have some work to do.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello readers, so sorry to make you wait this long for a new chapter. I like to keep you all in a little bit of suspense here and there. It's good for the soul. Anyway, let me know what you guys think so far! I'm curious to know how I'm doing.**

* * *

I scroll back up through our conversation and find the questions she spammed me with on Saturday. Chuckling at the reminder of the weekend, I jot them down and go back down to her last message.

 ***.***

 _ **10 minutes ago...**_

 _Starlia784_ : Good :)

 ** _now_**

 _firebreath777_ : Did ya miss me? :P

 _Starlia784_ : Nah... not really...

 _firebreath777_ : 8-|

 _Starlia784_ : haha

 _Starlia784_ : So you have the questions, then?

 _firebreath777_ : well, duh

 _firebreath777_ : the first question is

 _firebreath777_ : what is your favorite anime?

 _firebreath777_ : now remember you said you would answer these questions after I did so be prepared

 _Starlia784_ : Oh, I remember

 _Starlia784_ : unlike SOME people I know...

 ***.***

"HEY!"

"What?" I hear in stereo. I hear Wendy run to our room and knock on the door.

"Hey Natsu, you okay in there?" I barely hear muffled through the door.

"Come in, Wendy" I hear Zeref say through my headphones.

I take off one of said headphones and ask Zeref and Wendy, "Did I say that out loud?"

"Yeah! You obviously worried Wendy and almost burst my eardrum in the process. What happened?"

I look over to Zeref on his side of the room and see that he's done with his phone call.

"Oh, sorry Wendy. I didn't mean to scare you. It was nothing. Just talking to Star. She's making fun of me." I see Wendy has a quizzical look on her face.

"Oh yeah? What'd you do?"

"I forgot what questions she spammed me with the other day that she remembered so she's making fun of me for it."

He laughs, "that's one of the lessons I first learned when I started talking to Mavis. If she has a good sense of humor, she'll make fun of you to no end."

I see Wendy has made her way to my bed still looking puzzled. She finally says, "wait... I'm confused. Who are Mavis and Star?"

"Oh, so you haven't told Wendy about Mavis yet, have you?"

Zeref thinks to himself for a minute, then says "Oh, no. I must have forgotten. I'm sorry Wendy. Mavis is my girlfriend. We've been together since the beginning of the fall semester at school." He whips out his phone and shows Wendy a picture of Mavis.

"OH WOW! She's so pretty! Natsu, did you see?"

I nod and Zeref and I chuckle at our sister's adorable response.

"So then, who's Star? Is she _your_ girlfriend, Natsu?"

I laugh nervously "Uhhh no... I just started talking to her, so she's just a new friend right now."

She makes an 'O' shape with her mouth and says "but you liiiiike her, don't you?"

Zeref laughs again, "Yes he does, Wendy."

I smile at Wendy, roll my eyes at Zeref, shake my head, put my headphone back, and get back to my conversation with Star.

 ***.***

 _firebreath777_ : :|

 _firebreath777_ : ANYWAY...

 _firebreath777_ : I'm gonna start listing off my favs

 _firebreath777_ : Uhhh...

 _firebreath777_ : well I like Soul Eater

 _Starlia784_ : Oooo, that's a good one

 _firebreath777_ : uh-huh

 _firebreath777_ : Uhhhh... Sgt. Frog

 _firebreath777_ : D. Gray-man

 _firebreath777_ : XXXHolic

 _firebreath777_ : D.N. Angel

 _firebreath777_ : OH! and Ghost Hunt

 _firebreath777_ : Just to name a few

 _firebreath777_ : Your turn, Star :D

 _Starlia784_ : I like Soul Eater too, obviously

 _firebreath777_ : right

 _Starlia784_ : Uhhh... I like Hetalia

 _Starlia784_ : Fullmetal Alchemist

 _Starlia784_ : both of them

 _Starlia784_ : although ***** SPOILER***** those few episodes at the beginning with the researcher that turned his daughter and dog into a chimera was not something I needed to see twice

 _Starlia784_ : I forgot to mention I watched one right after the other

 _firebreath777_ : Ooooo that's tough

 _Starlia784_ : Yeah... that probably wasn't one of the better choices I've made recently

 _firebreath777_ : So, is that all?

 _Starlia784_ : Oh, no.

 _Starlia784_ : I like Free! Iwatobi Swim Club

 _Starlia784_ : Uhhhh, Vampire Knight

 _Starlia784_ : Cardcaptor Sakura

 _firebreath777_ : That's a classic

 _Starlia784_ : Yeah... another older one is Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles

 _Starlia784_ : Hey, fun fact

 _firebreath777_ : Yes?

 _Starlia784_ : Tsubasa is Japanese for wing

 _Starlia784_ : I bet you didn't know that, did ya?

 _firebreath777_ : Actually, I did. I know a little bit of Japanese, surprisingly.

 _Starlia784_ : kill joy. :))

 _Starlia784_ : I also like Ghost Hunt like you do but the intro song creeps me out.

 _firebreath777_ : you know you can skip that, right?

 _Starlia784_ : Baka! Of course I do. I have skipped it after the first couple of episodes

 _firebreath777_ : good

 _firebreath777_ : got any others?

 _Starlia784_ : Oh, I LOVE Ouran High School Host Club

 _Starlia784_ : it's like my favorite anime EVER

 _firebreath777_ : Really?

 _firebreath777_ : it seems so girly to me

 _Starlia784_ : Have you ever actually _watched_ an episode of Ouran?

 _Starlia784_ : That anime is LIFE

 _firebreath777_ : I've seen parts here and there

 _Starlia784_ : Then, that's a no.

 _Starlia784_ : Oh, well...

 _Starlia784_ : all I can say is you're missin out

 _Starlia784_ : So, next question

 _Starlia784_ : What else do you do for fun?

 ***.***

I feel a twelve-year-old presence behind me and turn to see Wendy looking over my shoulder.

"Can I help you, sis?"

"Oh... no. I'm just-"

"Eavesdropping?"

"But you're talking about Ouran! You know how much I LOVE that show! You watch it with me all the time! And why did you lie to her and say you don't like it when I _know_ you do? Come on, Natsu! Tell Star the truth."

I sigh frustrated, "Alright fine. I'll tell her..."

 ***.***

 _Starlia784_ : Sal?

 _firebreath777_ : Sorry, Star

 _firebreath777_ : somebody was eavesdropping on our conversation and they noticed that I fibbed a little bit before

 _Starlia784_ : Oh, who?

 _Starlia784_ : and what was that fib?

 _firebreath777_ : It was about Ouran

 _firebreath777_ : I actually have seen more than a few episodes

 _firebreath777_ : multiple times

 _Starlia784_ : LOL

 _firebreath777_ : yeah, yeah, yeah

 _firebreath777_ : my little sister is obsessed with the show

 _firebreath777_ : one day I was curious as to what she was always laughing at and watching and decided to join her

 _firebreath777_ : we've been watching it together ever since

 ***.***

"There, Wendy look. I told her. Happy now?"

She nods in time with an "mmmhm" and skips off probably to watch Ouran. I'm tempted to join her but I really wanna talk to Star more so I stay put.

 ***.***

 _Starlia784_ : Wait.

 _Starlia784_ : Back up

 _Starlia784_ : You have a little sister?

 _firebreath777_ : Yes I do

 _firebreath777_ : but we weren't up to that question yet so hold your horses

 _Starlia784_ : AWWWWWWWW

 _Starlia784_ : fine

 ***.***

I can _feel_ her pout from the other side of the conversation and it starts to make me giggle like a little school girl. Well, like Wendy.

 ***.***

 _Starlia784_ : but you MUST tell me about her when we get there

 _Starlia784_ : she sounds so cute

 _firebreath777_ : oh, she can be cute at times

 _firebreath777_ : and her cuteness can guilt trip you to no end somedays I swear

 _Starlia784_ : hahahaha

 _Starlia784_ : So...

 _Starlia784_ : shall we continue or is there more you have to confess?

 _firebreath777_ : nah, I'm good

 _firebreath777_ : we can move on to another topic

 ***.***


	5. Chapter 5

Star and I continue chatting about what we do for fun. I told her that I play video games and a little bit of guitar but I'm not that good, and she says that she loves to read and write. She thought the guitar was cool and I told her that I don't really understand how reading can be fun. It just seems like a chore to me.

 ***.***

 _firebreath777_ : Yeah, sorry Star

 _firebreath777_ : Unless you give me a book with pictures, then I'm not interested

 _Starlia784_ : Oh, come on Sal

 _Starlia784_ : just give it a shot

 _Starlia784_ : here I'll recommend the book I'm reading now

 _Starlia784_ : it's called The Iron King

 _Starlia784_ : it's the first book in a series about fairies and includes classic Shakespearean characters like Titania, Oberon and Puck from A Midsummer-night's Dream

 _firebreath777_ : huh

 _firebreath777_ : that sounds somewhat interesting

 _firebreath777_ : I may give it a shot

 _firebreath777_ : but just for you

 _Starlia784_ : OMG yay!

 _Starlia784_ : that makes me SO happy

 _Starlia784_ : thank you Sal!

 _firebreath777_ : :)

 _firebreath777_ : So, you got time for one more question? I KNOW you wanna know about my sister

 _Starlia784_ : OMG YES PLEASE!

 _Starlia784_ : Tell me! Tell me! Tell me!

 _firebreath777_ : LMAO

 _firebreath777_ : well, my sister's name is Wendy

 _firebreath777_ : she's twelve years old and completely obsessed with Ouran High School Host Club lol

 _Starlia784_ : AWWWWWWWWW that's so CUTE!

 _firebreath777_ : hahaha yeah, she's cute

 _firebreath777_ : at times

 _firebreath777_ : and then there's my brother who I told you about the other day

 _firebreath777_ : he's twenty-one and in college

 _firebreath777_ : his name is Zeref

 _firebreath777_ : there's really nothing too cute about him

 _firebreath777_ : honestly, I think Wendy got all the cute genes in the family

 _Starlia784_ : LOL

 _Starlia784_ : well, what about you?

 _firebreath777_ : I can't really speak for myself

 _Starlia784_ : Well, I think you're pretty cute

 _Starlia784_ : even though I've never actually seen your face

 _Starlia784_ : but maybe one day I will

 _Starlia784_ : who knows?

 _firebreath777_ : yeah

 _firebreath777_ : maybe one day

 ***.***

"Hey, Natsu?! Mom's home and she needs your help!," I hear Wendy yell from the kitchen.

"Okay, Wendy! I'll be right there!," I yell back.

 ***.***

 _firebreath777_ : hey, Star?

 _Starlia784_ : yeah?

 _firebreath777_ : I gotta go for a bit and help my mom bring in whatever she has in her car

 _Starlia784_ : Ok :) I have hw I gotta do anyway

 _Starlia784_ : talk again later?

 _firebreath777_ : of course!

 ***.***

* * *

I'm doing my Physics homework while I'm waiting for Sal to finish helping his mom, when I hear a knock on my bedroom door.

"Princess, may I come in?"

"Yes, Virgo," I say as I pause my music, minimize my chat with Sal, and take out my headphones.

"Hello, miss Lucy. Your father requests your presence in his study," Virgo, our maid, says. She tries, she really does. I know she means well and that my father hired her to help clean and cook but nothing can replace Mom.

"Please don't tell me it's another one of his lectures on why getting a business degree is more ideal than a writing degree? I really don't want to hear it. I'm never going to want to go into his business. Why doesn't he just let it go already?"

"I'm sorry, Princess, but he didn't say and I'm in no position to take sides but I'm sure he's just looking out for you."

"More like looking out for his business," I mumble as I close my laptop and start to head to my father's study.

If Mom were still here, she would want me to follow my dreams. That's the kind of person she was. I miss her.

 *****.***.***.*****

A half hour later, I was dismissed by my father and go back to my room to sulk. I got nowhere in the conversation with my father. He wouldn't even listen to what I have to say. He never has. Even when I was little, he thought what I was doing was too childish for him. He was always about his business and what was best for it and therefore, never had time to be a real dad.

Somedays I don't even think he wanted a girl with the way he treats me.

Looking for some sort of joy, I open up my laptop once more to see I have a new message from Sal. I actually have a few. He must have got back while I was getting the most recent lecture from my father. Oh well, at least I have something to look forward to.

 ***.***

 _firebreath777_ : hey, Star

 _firebreath777_ : I'm back

 _firebreath777_ : Star?

 _Starlia784_ : Hi Sal...

 _firebreath777_ : You okay, Star?

 _firebreath777_ : something seems off

 _Starlia784_ : No

 _Starlia784_ : Not really

 _firebreath777_ : What happened?

 _firebreath777_ : Does it have something to do with your father?

 _Starlia784_ : of course

 _Starlia784_ : it ALWAYS does

 _Starlia784_ : he is the source of 95% of my problems

 _firebreath777_ : Aww :(

 _firebreath777_ : well what did he do this time?

 _Starlia784_ : nothing new

 _Starlia784_ : which is the frustrating part

 _Starlia784_ : it's always the same stupid thing

 _firebreath777_ : Which is?

 _Starlia784_ : he always summons me to come to his study

 _Starlia784_ : then he goes on and on about how much better a business degree is than a creative writing one is just so he has someone in the family to take over his business when he passes

 _Starlia784_ : and he NEVER listens to me

 _Starlia784_ : no matter what I say to him

 _Starlia784_ : I HATE IT!

 _Starlia784_ : I wish my mom was still here

 _Starlia784_ : she could always talk him out of his STUPID ideas and let me follow my dream

 _firebreath777_ : Ok

 _firebreath777_ : question

 _firebreath777_ : it's obvious to me that you're miserable there with him

 _firebreath777_ : so why do you make yourself suffer so much?

 _firebreath777_ : why don't you just move out and give yourself a fresh start?

 ***.***

He does have a good point but he's my father and I believe under that cold outer shell, there's a warm heart locked away somewhere. Mom just took the key with her when she left us.

 ***.***

 _Starlia784_ : because he's the only family I have left

 _Starlia784_ : my mother died when I was a little girl and ever since then, I've been alone

 _Starlia784_ : he hired a maid to take care of me and the house in her place but it just wasn't the same

 _firebreath777_ : well, you're not alone anymore

 _Starlia784_ : what makes you say that?

 _firebreath777_ : you have friends now, right?

 _Starlia784_ : yeah...

 _Starlia784_ : I have a couple of friends

 _Starlia784_ : One of them is almost exactly like me

 _Starlia784_ : she loves to read

 _Starlia784_ : She's my official first reader of everything I write and she's actually kinda like my editor too now that I think about it

 _Starlia784_ : her name is Levy and she's my best friend and the first friend I made at my school when I transferred in September

 ***.***

Crap! Why did I just give him Levy's name? I didn't even give him _my_ real name. Ugh, I am so stupid!

 ***.***

 _Starlia784_ : Uhhhh forget I ever said that

 _firebreath777_ : Why?

 _firebreath777_ : are you afraid I might talk to her about you behind your back, Star?

 _Starlia784_ : uhhhhh...

 _Starlia784_ : maybe.

 _firebreath777_ : relax, Star

 _firebreath777_ : I don't even _know_ Levy

 _firebreath777_ : Or do I? :-?

 _firebreath777_ : you may never know

*.*

What if he actually _does_ know Levy? What if he goes to my school? What if he's in my class?

I can't just ask him. I wouldn't know how to bring it up in conversation, what am I gonna do?

* * *

I can't believe she knows Levy! She's best friends with her, too.

My stupid lug nut cousin's girlfriend is the only Levy I know in the area. That's gotta be her. Now, I gotta think about who, besides my metal-head cousin, Levy is really close to in the area.

Wait, hold up. Lucy! Star said she just transferred schools in September and Lucy just transferred to my school in September. That can't be a coincidence. What if... nah! That's impossible. There's no way someone like Lucy would want to talk to me in person like this. I mean, we've only talked a couple of times, and once was when I accidentally bumped into her and knocked her over at school. There's NO way...


	6. Chapter 6

Wait, hold up. Star said she just transferred schools in September and Lucy just transferred to my school in September. That can't be a coincidence. What if... nah! That's impossible. There's no way someone like Lucy would be this interested in someone like me.

 ***.***

 _Starlia784_ : Uhhh, can we just talk about something else?

 _Starlia784_ : Please?

 _firebreath777_ : Uhhh sure, Star

 _firebreath777_ : whatcha wanna talk about?

 _Starlia784_ : hmmmmm

 _Starlia784_ : can we finish off that list of questions you have with you?

 _Starlia784_ : I'm sure it will help me take my mind off of my father

 _firebreath777_ : absolutely

 _firebreath777_ : I'd do anything to help a friend

 _firebreath777_ : so

 _firebreath777_ : the next question you asked in your spam session was if I have any pets

 _firebreath777_ : and my answer is yes

 _firebreath777_ : I do

 _Starlia784_ : Ooooo tell me about them!

 _firebreath777_ : well, I have a gray cat who looks blue sometimes in the right light

 _firebreath777_ : it's pretty cool

 _firebreath777_ : his name is Happy

 _firebreath777_ : and Wendy, my sister also has a white cat named Carla

 _Starlia784_ : Awwwww so you both have cats?

 _Starlia784_ : that's so cute!

 _Starlia784_ : what about your brother?

 _Starlia784_ : does he have any pets?

 _firebreath777_ : nah, it's just me and Wendy

 _firebreath777_ : we got 'em when Zeref first left for college a few years ago and they've been a part of the family ever since

 _firebreath777_ : it's funny

 _firebreath777_ : sometimes I'd find Happy trying to give Carla some of his fish and she would always hiss at him and tries to scratch him no matter how often he tries

 _firebreath777_ : it's the same response every time

 _firebreath777_ : we have to keep him away from her or we're afraid she might actually scratch him if he gets too close

 _Starlia784_ : awwwww poor Happy

 _firebreath777_ : what about you?

 _firebreath777_ : you got any pets?

 _Starlia784_ : I have a little puff ball of a dog named Plue

 _firebreath777_ : LOL

 _Starlia784_ : he follows me everywhere

 _Starlia784_ : I don't even keep him on a leash because I know he's not gonna leave my side when I take him out for a walk

 _firebreath777_ : he sounds like the best dog ever

 _Starlia784_ : he's one of my best friends

 _Starlia784_ : if you consider pets friends

 _firebreath777_ : hey, I've got Happy, remember?

 _firebreath777_ : he's like a best friend to me too

 _firebreath777_ : I tell him almost everything

 _Starlia784_ : well that's a relief

 _Starlia784_ : at least I'm not the _only_ weird one who tells their pets everything lol

 _firebreath777_ : nah, I'm sure we're not the only ones who do it

 _firebreath777_ : I just think we're the only ones to actually admit it to other people

 _Starlia784_ : I like to imagine that Plue understands me and knows what I'm talking about

 _firebreath777_ : hey, he just might

 _firebreath777_ : ya never know :)

 ***.***

Star and I finish chatting after a while and by that time it's late and I'm exhausted, so I try to go to bed but I can't help but think about what she said today.

"Ma! I'm goin' out!," I yell to my mom in the living room.

"And where _exactly_ are you going at this hour, Natsu?"

"For a walk. I can't sleep. I gotta go clear my head," I say while putting on shoes and a hoodie.

"Oh, alright. Well be safe and make sure you don't take too long. It's late and you have school tomorrow."

"I won't. I'll be back soon. I promise," I say as I walk out the door.

I start walking down the road away from my house. Then I turn a random corner and start thinking to myself.

I start thinking more about what Star said, specifically. Levy is her best friend. I only know of one Levy in the area and that's Levy McGarden or 'Shrimp,' as my cousin calls her.

She transferred to a new school in September.

She's gotta be...

"Come on, Plue! Let's go home and go to bed! It's late, and father is going to kill me!"

That voice... that sounds like...

"Lucy!"

I wave and jog to get closer and see Lucy with a white ball of fluff that's barking and wagging its tail happily next to her. She looks up at the sound of her name and smiles sheepishly.

* * *

"Lucy!"

I know that voice.

"Hey, Natsu!" I laugh nervously,"What are you doing out here this late?"

"Uhhhh... just getting some fresh air. I kinda got a lot on my mind."

"Oh, like what?"

At those words his eyes widen to twice their size. Then, he avoids eye contact and nervously scratches the nape of his neck.

* * *

How am I supposed to tell Lucy that I'm thinking about her without actually telling her?

* * *

"Uhhh... honestly, girls. It's normally so hard for me to talk to this one girl that I like but I feel like I know this other girl that I'm talking to like she's my best friend. And ya know, I can't help but wish that the two girls I'm thinking of right now are the same person."

"Wow, Natsu. You've got a lot going on in that pink head of yours. I'm glad to see you're more than just a brick wall."

He starts to laugh and it's so contagious that I start laughing too. Plue is sitting patiently wagging his tail. I hear him bark and that reminds me, "oh, Natsu. This is my little white fluff ball, Plue."

* * *

That's exactly what Star said not too long ago...

* * *

His eyes widen again for a second but then he crouches down, reaches his hand out and Plue sniffs him, then deems him worthy by giving his hand a good lick.

"You have any dogs, Natsu?"

"Nah, just a couple of cats but one of them feels more like a dog than a cat."

"Oh, really? How so?"

"He follows me everywhere and is always there when I need him. He's like my best friend."

"Awww, that's really sweet."

"Yeah, just like Plue," he says as he nods his head at my dog.

"Yeah. Exactly!"

Whoa. Wait a minute...

Déjà vu.

"Uhhh Luce?" I see a blur of a hand wave in front of my face.

"You're spacing out, here Lucy," he says as he snaps his fingers. "This isn't like you."

I shake my head and look up at Natsu. When did he stop playing with Plue?

"Uhhh... I'm okay Natsu. Don't worry. I gotta get home. Come on Plue."

Plue barks at me and whines at Natsu sadly. Huh. I guess Plue really likes Natsu if he doesn't want to leave.

"I know, buddy." Natsu crouches down again and scratches Plue behind his ear. "But I'll see you again soon. I promise."

I smile at his words and whistle for Plue. He barks once more, jumps up, wags his tail happily and we walk home side by side along the riverbank.

"See ya Luce."

I smile again as Natsu turns and starts walking away and sigh, "bye, Natsu."

* * *

Alright, that's it. If I see Lucy reading a new book in any of our classes this week, I think that doubly confirms that I just found my Star. It can't be a coincidence anymore. There are just too many similarities. Lucy has to be my Star.

* * *

 **Sorry for publishing so late today guys. I have been crazy busy all day and just now have the chance to edit and publish this. chapter. I'm still a little curious about what you think about this so far? Do you guys like the point of view change? Is it too much? Leave a review to let me know.**

 **Until the next chapter, byeeeee!**


	7. Chapter 7

**I think so far, this is my favorite chapter. I had so much fun writing it and I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.**

* * *

About two months have passed since I confirmed that Star and Lucy are in fact the same girl. I still remember it like it was yesterday. Although, I would NEVER in a million years tell her I know who she really is, or tell her who I am as Salamander. I just couldn't do that to her. Not yet, at least.

 _I walk into English class early for a change and spot Lucy in her normal seat which is on the opposite side of the room as mine. I drop my books on my desk, walk towards her, and see that she has a book open on her desk in front of her._

 _"Heya Lucy!"  
_

 _"Oh, hey Natsu," She says as she looks up at me from her book._

 _"Whatcha readin' there, Luce?"_

" _Oh, just my new favorite book,_ The Iron King. _It's really good. It's about fairies and royalty and romance and scandals. I_ LOVE _it!"_

 _I chuckle at her enthusiasm and think 'yep. Lucy is_ definitely _my Star.'_

 _"Hey, Lucy?"_

 _"Yes, Natsu?," She asks with one eyebrow raised._

 _"Mind if I read it after you?"_

 _"Excuse me?"_

 _"Can I borrow that and read it once you're finished with it?"_

 _"Why?," she looks at me a little confused._

 _"I uhhhh promised a friend I would read it, and I don't really have the money on hand to get it myself, so whadda ya say Lucy? Will you let me borrow it once you've finished?"_

 _She smiles warmly at me, "Sure thing, Natsu. I'd be happy to. I'm just surprised you're willing to pick up a book like this. It doesn't seem like your style."_

 _I laugh at the playful jab as the bell rings signaling the beginning of class. I head back to my seat but not before Lucy asks me to wait for her after class._

We've grown so close since then. Both online and in person.

 _"Whatcha wanna talk about Lucy?"_

 _"Oh, I wanted to know if you wanna hang out sometime outside of school. I know we live pretty close to each other since I saw you out walking late the other night. What do you say? You wanna come over for a bit? My father is out of town for a while on business so it's just me and my... housekeeper. If you want I can invite our other friends and we can do like a movie night-sleepover type thing. Sound fun?"_

 _"You had me at 'outside of school,' Lucy."_

 _She laughs, "I'm glad. I can't wait."_

 _"Neither can I," I give her my signature toothy grin._

 _She smiles up at me, "you seem like a fun person, Natsu. I'm surprised I haven't_ really _talked to you sooner."_

 _"Ehh, it's alright, Luce." You actually have... you just don't know it yet._

 _She smiles at the nickname as we walk to our next class together._

I've only been talking to Lucy for a couple of months but I feel like I've known her my entire life. We talk every day at school and we message each other until the wee hours of the morning every day. It's...probably not healthy for either of us- but it just makes me feel so good, and I know it's helping her too. I can see it in her eyes; she's looking happier and happier every day.

 ***.***

firebreath777: _Hey Star_

Starlia784: _Hey Sal_

Starlia784: _How's it going?_

firebreath777: _good!_

firebreath777: _hey, I have a question for you_

Starlia784: _shoot... just not me heheh_

firebreath777: :|

firebreath777: _I was wondering if I can get your writer's opinion on something_

Starlia784: _Sure!_

firebreath777: _I'm writing a little song_

firebreath777: _just a fun little thing I like to do in my spare time_

firebreath777: _can you let me know what you think of these lyrics?_

Starlia784: _OF COURSE!_

Starlia784: _I'd LOVE to!_

firebreath777: _Ok_

firebreath777: _here goes nothing_

firebreath777: _If you're tired I will bear your burden,  
if you're dreamin' I will not disturb you  
Whatever your heart desires love, love  
I'll clear the way for you  
Come winter I will build you a fire  
from the bones of who I used to be  
Before you came and washed the weary away  
you came here for me_

Starlia784: _Nice try, Sal but those are not original lyrics_

firebreath777: _And what exactly are you implying?_

Starlia784: _I've heard that song before_

Starlia784: _It's by Dave Matthews Band_

Starlia784: _That's actually a really nice song but I'm trying to help you here so help me help you_

Starlia784: _gimme something original to work with_

firebreath777: _Ok fine_

firebreath777: _ya caught me_

firebreath777: _here's the real lyrics_

firebreath777: _ridin' on a coaster,_  
 _in the sky so high,_  
 _dark colors behind you,_  
 _there's a brightness in your eyes,_

Starlia784: _Wow_

firebreath777: _partners to be had,_  
 _you and I_  
 _In this world all around us,_  
 _you and I, soaring high_

firebreath777: ... _that's all I got for now_

firebreath777: _so?_

firebreath777: _whatcha think?_

firebreath777: _bad?_

firebreath777: _good?_

Starlia784: _AMAZING, Sal! I wish I could hear you sing it._

firebreath777: _Hey, maybe you will someday, Star_

firebreath777: _ya never know_

Starlia784: _whatcha gonna call it?_

firebreath777: _Idk yet._

firebreath777: _when I think of a title, you'll be the first person to know_

 ***.***

Speaking of Lucy, I see her now waiting for me outside our Physics class.

"Hey Natsu," she says excitedly with a wave.

"Hey Lucy. What's got you all excited."

"This weekend is the last weekend before my father gets back from his business trip."

"Wait... he's been gone all month. Where the hell has he been?"

"Actually he's been gone for two. He's been traveling the world making cheap business deals: nothing new, really. He's been doing it for years. I'm used to it."

"That's... unfortunate."

"I know, but he's not really much of a father anyway so I'm not really too upset about it."

"If you say so, Lucy. But what about that has you so excited?"

"OH! Right! I was wondering if you and your friends were up for that sleepover movie night thingy I mentioned a few weeks ago."

"Sure! I'm up for it! We should go ask everyone else together later. Maybe Erza can even get her mysterious boyfriend, Jellal to come too."

"Erza has a boyfriend? Well that would explain why she's never around when she doesn't have student council."

I nod wide-eyed.

"Don't let her hear that. She'll kill you with her death-glare."

We both laugh. "I didn't know! Please don't kill me, Erza!," Lucy begs to nobody in particular.

"So, in total, if everyone comes it will be you, me, Erza, Jellal, Gray, Juvia, Levy and Gajeel."

"Wait, metalhead is coming too?"

"If by metalhead you mean Gajeel, yes. Levy can't be the only one without her beau. Why do you ask?"

"He's my cousin... that's just weird."

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that. Sorry, Natsu. I guess you're just gonna have to deal with it for now. And PLEASE try not to fight with either Gray or Gajeel. I really don't need to explain why there would be bloodstains on my father's floor to him."

I turn away from her, cross my arms and pout, "FINE." I look over at her, still pouting, and her face brightens with a smile.

"Thanks, Natsu" she says after she slams into me to give me a hug from behind.

"What'd I do?"

"Nothing in particular," she mumbles into my back. "You're just a great friend."

"Well, I haven't done anything that great to deserve this."

"Yes you have. You, along with another great friend of mine have made me so much happier than I have ever been. Hanging out with you and the rest of our friends will be so much fun this weekend. I can't thank you enough for making me so happy by introducing me to more great friends."

I smile and she chuckles softly into my back. She lets go slightly, but not completely and that gives me just enough space to turn in her direction.

After I twist around to face her, my arms seem to know what to do on their own when they uncross themselves and coil around her. My right arm is firmly, but gently planted around her small waist and my left hand reaches up to cup the back of her head gently. I feel her hum in satisfaction against my chest.

We break the hug and she shivers almost immediately.

"You okay, Lucy?"

"Yeah... just a little chilly all of a sudden."

"Well, maybe you should sit by the heater in the next class. I'll join you if you'd like."

"Sure, sounds great."

* * *

As soon as we let go of each other, I started to shiver from the sudden drop in temperature. How can someone run _that_ hot?

"Well, maybe you should sit by the heater in the next class..." I would if I sat next to _you_...

.

.

.

He was so warm...


	8. Chapter 8

As soon as school ends, I walk with Levy to our lockers since they're pretty close to each other.

"So, Lev, do you think you and Gajeel can come to my movie night this weekend?"

"Of course, Lu! We wouldn't miss it for the world. It sounds like a lot of fun! And even if Gajeel won't want to go willingly, I'll drag him by the piercings if I have to."

"Great! I'm sure Natsu already asked Erza and Gray and Juvia by now. All that's left is for me to ask one more person and then my circle will be complete."

"Oh, Lucy. I don't think you've mentioned this other mystery person to me," Levy says as she opens her locker.

"I didn't? But I tell you just about everything, Levy."

"Well, ya missed this thing, Lu."

"Huh, I guess I did."

"Well, tell me about them. Are they a guy or a girl?"

"My new friend is a guy and he's our age. I met him online in this chatroom about two months ago. I saw that he was from around the area and started to chat with him. Then I realized we have a lot of common interests, and he's really funny, and he's so easy to talk to, and he has an older brother and a little sister, and he said that he knows you which I think is kinda...odd, but not completely odd because he is from around here and... I think I really like him."

"Wow Lu, your rambles go to the most random places sometimes. And wait, pause and reverse. Did you say he knew me? What's his name?"

"He didn't give me his real name and I didn't give him mine. We gave each other our nicknames that other people gave us at some point in our lives. I told him mine was Star since that's what my mother called me when she was still around."

"Awww that's sweet, Lu. I never knew that." Levy closes her locker and we head into the direction of mine.

"Mmmhm. Anyway, the name he said I could call him was Salamander."

"Wait." She stops dead in her tracks. "Salamander? Do you mean Natsu?"

"Huh? Natsu?" I look at her puzzled.

"Yeah, you heard me right, Natsu." She laughs, "wow, that's a nickname that I almost never hear anymore. The only person I hear called Salamander is Natsu, and it's only by Gajeel. He does it a lot when they're together, but I haven't been around recently whenever they _are_ together which is why I haven't heard it in a while. I bet this weekend if we all get together you'd hear it for yourself. You should definitely keep an ear out for it."

"I'm sorry, Lev. I have never heard Gajeel call him that. I don't believe you. I just can't picture them as the same person. I mean, I like Natsu, I really do. He's a great friend, a goofball, and an absolute sweetheart when he wants to be but there's something about Sal that I just don't see in Natsu."

"Oh, and what do you think that is," she asks me with one eyebrow raised suspiciously.

"Seriousness," I deadpan as I open my locker.

"Trust me, Lu. You may not have seen it yet, but Natsu can be serious when he wants to be: especially when one of his friends are in trouble."

"Well, how about this," I start to propose. "If I hear Gajeel call Natsu 'Salamander' even just once from now until the end of the weekend, I may consider believing you, but until then, I just can't see it."

* * *

"Droopy Eyes! Erza! Metal freak!" I see my friends, and I mean friends as in Erza and Gray. Gajeel doesn't really count since he's my cousin.

"What do you want, flame breath?," says the ice princess herself.

"Yeah, Sala-mmph!" I cover Gajeel's mouth quickly with a "Shhhh!," to stop him before he can finish that word. I really shouldn't have done that because in response, he licks my palm.

"Ugh, gross!" I pull my hand away and wipe it on his shoulder.

"Gehee! Serves ya right for tryin' to silence me."

"Well, maybe next time I should just punch you right in the gut," I retort. "I'm sure that'll do the trick."

He growls at me.

"What the hell was that for, tabasco freak?" I give the pervert a death glare that almost rivals Erza's... almost. Then I turn my glare to lug nuts and say through clenched teeth, "you better not call me that in public for a while, ya hear me Steel-for-Brains?"

"And why the hell not?"

I let out a sigh of frustration. Here we go... time to start explaining.

* * *

Levy and I finish up at my locker and then we head to the library to do some research for a project we have together. It's so much fun doing a project with her because we do equal amounts of work and always end up with an 'A' at the end of it.

We find a quiet table, drop our bags and go searching for research materials.

* * *

"Let's wait for Jellal before I start," I mumble. "I don't wanna have to repeat myself."

The three of them nod at me and we wait for Jellal to show up.

Five painfully slow minutes pass by and then the blue haired, tattoo-faced guy finally shows up.

"Ugh, FINALLY! Now I don't have to waste any _more_ of my time fighting metal face and popsicle breath over here."

Erza was trying to keep the peace between the three of us with her mighty death glare but I ignored it like I usually do and ended up getting a face full of metal from Gajeel's knuckles as punishment. It didn't hurt though; I know he doesn't really mean it since we're family and all.

Now that Jellal's here, I can explain everything once and for all.

"Alright, now that Jellal's here, I'm all fired up and ready to... get this over with," I deflate.

"So spill, squinty eyes, before everyone disappears for the day."

"Yeah, yeah. Can it, popsicle. I'm getting there."

"Well?" Erza asks impatiently.

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding in and begin.

"It all started a little over a month ago. Zeref was home from college, you guys were all busy with your lives and I was going to and from school and that was about it since you guys were always so busy. I guess he must have noticed it at some point because when I asked him why he was acting so weird and happy lately, he signed me up for this chatroom where I started talking to this girl..."

Everyone stares at me in a stunned silence, so I continue.

"I noticed at first, that we have a lot in common, like what shows we like to watch and what music we like to listen to. She actually has a really good sense of humor and I've told her almost everything about myself... except my name. Instead of giving her my real name, I gave her the nickname ol' black steel here, gave me."

"Hey," he protests. I ignore him as usual and continue.

"I told her that she could call me Salamander. Now, shortly after I started to get to know this girl online, I figured out who she really is..."

"AND?" everybody asks me in synchronicity.

Tired of keeping everyone in suspense, I spit out "it's Lucy."

"Wait...Bunny girl? Blonde hair, big brown eyes? That Lucy?," Gajeel finally spits out.

"Yeah, that's the one... she's the only Lucy _I_ know. Now, the reason I have told you all this was because she invited all of us to her house this weekend for a movie night/sleepover while her father is still out on business and I don't need it screwed up by this name. I really don't want her to know it was me she was talking to this whole time just yet."

"Why not?," Jellal asks curiously.

"She thinks we're two different people," I explain nonchalantly.

"And why does she think _that_?" Erza asks annoyed.

"Because I show a completely different side of myself online than I do in person. I'm more serious and in tune with my emotions online and I think she likes that about Salamander. It's harder to express myself on a personal level...in person, than it is online. I know it sounds weird, but that's how it is," I try to explain.

"Well, maybe you should show that side of yourself more often in person," Juvia suggests. Wait- when did she get here?

"Yeah, that way bunny girl may not think of you and your online personality to be two completely different people." For a guy with a face full of metal, he makes a good point.

"Hmmm... I'll try but I don't really know how it'll work out," I say honestly.

"It's worth a shot though, Natsu," Erza states as she pats me on shoulder and smiles.

* * *

By the time I get home after finishing working on the assignment with Levy in the library, it's late in the afternoon: about 4:30 to be exact. My father would kill me if he knew I was coming home later than I had told him I would. I laugh and think out loud "it's a good thing he's still on his business trip."

When I walk in the door, Plue tackles me and almost knocks me down since I wasn't expecting him to jump on me.

I pick him up off of my feet and he immediately slobbers all over my face.

"Well, hello to you too, buddy. How was your day?"

He barks happily and wags his tail: his tongue hanging out of his mouth as he pants.

I put him down, let Virgo know I'm home, and then the two of us walk to my bedroom together. He curls up into a ball on my bed and closes his eyes. I grab my laptop and prepare to join him when I start to hear little snores coming from his direction. I get on my bed carefully next to him to try to not disturb the sleeping beast and open up my laptop thinking "damn, you dogs must have it rough."


	9. Chapter 9

When my laptop finally loads and I log into IT2U, I see that Sal has already messaged me a couple of times.

*.*

 ** _3:15 PM_**

 _firebreath777_ : Hey, Star

 _firebreath777_ : How's it going?

 _ **3:23 PM**_

 _firebreath777_ : Star?

 ** _3:39 PM_**

 _firebreath777_ : You there?

 _ **NOW**_

 _Starlia784_ : Hey, Sal

 _Starlia784_ : Sorry I wasn't around earlier

 _Starlia784_ : I was doing a project for one of my classes with my friend

*.*

I make sure to be careful this time and do _not_ give him Levy's name.

*.*

 _firebreath777_ : Oh

 _firebreath777_ : don't worry about it Star

 _firebreath777_ : I was doing my own homework so it's no big deal

 _firebreath777_ : anyway, what's up?

 _firebreath777_ : how's it going?

 _Starlia784_ : It's going good

 _Starlia784_ : I'm excited for this weekend

 _firebreath777_ : oh?

 _firebreath777_ : whatcha got goin on this weekend?

 _Starlia784_ : I'm having all my new friends over for a movie night at my place since my father is still away on his business trip as you already know

 _firebreath777_ : oh that sounds like fun!

 _Starlia784_ : Yeah...

 _Starlia784_ : actually, Sal I was wondering...

 _firebreath777_ : Yes?

 _Starlia784_ : I wanted to know if you wanted to come too

 _Starlia784_ : I could give you my address and you can come before everyone else does that way I can actually see you first

 _Starlia784_ : and know what you look like before I introduce you to my other friends

 _firebreath777_ : I'll think about it

 _firebreath777_ : I may have to do something with my family this weekend but I'll try

 _Starlia784_ : Great!

 _Starlia784_ : Thank you Sal!

 _Starlia784_ : You're the best!

*.*

I give him my address and he leaves to finish his work. I try to do the rest of mine but instead my mind wanders back to what Levy said earlier this afternoon about Natsu.

* * *

I can't believe I just lied to Lucy.

"I FEEL SO STUPID!" I almost roar to the ceiling.

"Why?" I hear Wendy squeak cautiously in my doorway.

"Because I lied to Star."

"Again? Why?"

"Because I had to."

"Why," she deadpans.

"BECAUSE!," I scream frustrated.

She jumps and I immediately regret shouting at her.

"I'm sorry, Wendy. I'm just upset with myself." She nods, understanding and cautiously walks into my room and sits on my bed next to me.

"Do you need a hug, Natsu?" I just nod and she gives me a side hug, which I turn into a real hug by turning to face her.

"I wish Zeref didn't go back to school so soon. I need his help. He would know what to do," I say into Wendy's hair.

"Well, maybe I can help. I'm usually pretty good with feelings, like Mom. Do you think you could tell me?" She asks as we part.

"I-I'll try, Wendy," I spit out anxiously. "You are pretty smart for your age, anyway. So, maybe you _can_ help me figure things out."

She smiles at me and I start to attempt to explain things to her.

* * *

 _"He didn't give me his real name and I didn't give him mine. We gave each other our nicknames that people gave us at some point in our lives. I told him mine was Star since that's what my mother called me when she was still around."_

 _"Awww that's sweet, Lu. I never knew that."_

 _"Mmmhm. Anyway, the name he said I could call him was Salamander."_

 _"The only person I know of called Salamander is Natsu, and it's only by Gajeel. He does it a lot when they're together... I bet this weekend if we all get together you'd hear it for yourself. You should definitely keep an ear out for it."_

 _"I'm sorry, Lev. I don't believe you. I just can't picture them as the same person... there's something about Sal that I just don't see in Natsu... seriousness."_

 _"Trust me, Lu... Natsu can be serious when he wants to be: especially when one of his friends are in trouble."_

Levy was right. I really _haven't_ seen Natsu's serious side yet.

What if she was right about him being Sal too. Maybe I _should_ be more aware of the stupid nicknames Gray, Natsu and Gajeel are throwing at each other.

* * *

"Okay, so first I have to say that I know who Star really is. I see her everyday at school."

"You do? That's GREAT! So why don't you talk to her in real life!"

"I do. Just as myself and not Salamander. We've actually become really good friends."

"Salamander?"

"It's sorta my more serious alter-ego. I used the nickname Gaj gave me when we were kids and told Star she could call me that."

"So, then who really is Star if you both gave each other your nicknames?"

"I'm about a hundred percent sure Star is Lucy Heartfilia."

"Who's Lucy?"

"She's the new girl I've been crushing on since the beginning of the school year when she transferred to my school."

"Oh, so you _do_ liiiiike Star," she says as a sly smile creeps across her face.

I blush and try to hide it but I know she can see right through me. She's like Mom in that way.

"Can we get back to the real issue here, Wendy," I bark at her, obviously embarrassed.

"And what's that?," Wendy asks me more seriously.

"I lied to Star-er...Lucy because I don't want her to completely figure out that I'm the one she's talking to just yet."

"Why don't you want her to know?"

"Because..." I pause to think for a few moments. Why _don't_ I want her to know?

I have so much fun talking to her and I can be her shoulder to lean on whenever she needs it. I really don't want that to end.

"Because I'm afraid that if she knows who Salamander really is then she wouldn't like me for me or want to be my friend anymore. I feel like she'd be too weirded out by it. I just don't want to lose her," I mumble honestly to my lap.

"I think you should just tell her the truth, Natsu. Girls like honesty and if you're not honest with 'em, then they get upset."

I grunt a "yes" to Wendy and I see her give me a small smile and then leave out of the corner of my eye.

I wish it was as easy as Wendy makes it seem. I don't know how I would even come to that topic in a conversation with her. I can't be like 'hey, Lucy, guess what. I'm Sal, the guy you've been chatting with for over two months on IT2U.' That's just too random and I think it might scare her away. If it doesn't scare her, it may just make things awkward between us at best. Yeah... it's not a good idea yet.

Instead, I think I'll work on that song I showed Lucy a little more. It's almost done, and I'm excited to play it for her. I know she'll be surprised. I wonder if she has a guitar lying around her house somewhere...


	10. Chapter 10

Friday is here! The day of the long-awaited movie night has finally arrived and I am so excited! It's the last weekend before my father comes back and I can't wait to have my friends over after school and just have fun.

In my first class with Levy, I was happy to hear that both her and Gajeel will be coming later. I already had confirmation from Erza, Jellal, Gray, Juvia, and Natsu of course. The only one I haven't heard a definite yes from was Sal but Levy _says_ he and Natsu are the same person. For once I really hope she's wrong.

"Wrong about what?" I hear a familiar scratchy voice say behind me.

"Kya! Natsu! Don't sneak up on me like that."

He chuckles, "like what? We always walk to physics together. Ever since I started hanging out with you, that is. So what do you think she's wrong about? And who were you talking about?"

"Uhhh...," I chuckle nervously. "How much did you hear before exactly?"

"Just 'for once, I really hope she's wrong.' So, who and what were you talking about? And who were you talking to?"

"Ahhh! Too many questions all at once!," I whine at him.

He chuckles again and says "Sorry, Luce. You can answer them one at a time. Start with who you were talking to."

"I wasn't talking to anybody really... I thought it was in my head, honestly. I didn't realize I had said anything out loud until you scared the crap outta me a minute ago."

Now he starts full on laughing at me. I look at him and deadpan "and what exactly is so funny to you, Mister Dragneel?"

He doesn't stop to explain himself, and in fact, gets even louder. It gets so bad, that other people are starting to stare at us as we walk through the halls.

"Natsu!", I bark. Through gritted teeth I manage to get out "people are starting to stare."

"Now tell me what the hell is so damn funny," I shout at him.

"You...are...Lucy," he says in between giggles.

I groan, roll my eyes, and turn away from him "What did I do this time?"

"Talking to yourself, acting silly, usual Lucy stuff."

I give him an unamused look as we walk into our next class.

"Oh, before I forget," I start as we walk to our desks, "I was wondering if you would be willing to help me set up for the movie night tonight."

"Sure thing, Lucy. Of course."

"Great! Thanks Natsu. That would be a big help."

He gives me a toothy grin as the teacher walks in and the bell rings signaling the start of class.

* * *

Lucy wanted my help getting everything ready for tonight. I told her in one of our other classes that we should stop by my house on the way to hers so I could gather my things for the night and let my parents know what's going on. She said "yes, of course" without any hesitation.

The final bell rings after what feels like a lifetime of boring Math.

Lucy and I walk together to Levy's locker with Levy and Gajeel, then to Lucy's, and then mine. Then, we said goodbye to Levy and Metalfreak for now since we'll see them later.

The two of us walk out of school and I grab Lucy's hand as I lead the way to my house.

* * *

I follow Natsu closely, still walking hand in hand with him when come to a halt in front of a quaint little house. It's got a cute little white picket fence surrounding the property. The house has two stories but the second story is considerably smaller than the first. I can't help the smile that forms on my face as we walk through the gate and up the path to the front door.

He pulls out his house key that has a little chibi dragon with a head and back full of pink scales that strangely remind me of his wild, spiky hair. I giggle at the thought, and he smirks in my direction almost like he knows what I'm thinking.

"You like it, Luce?"

"Mhmm," I nod my head. "It's cute!"

"I was looking for an adjective more like 'terrifying, ferocious, uhh... manly. Something like that."

"Natsu, it's a _chibi_ dragon with _pink_ scales. It's small and cute and you know it."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah... you girls think everything small and/or pink is cute."

"Well, small generally is cute, unless it's a bug... those are not so cute. And yes, minus your hair," I add jokingly, "everything pink usually is cute."

"Well, lucky for you it's not pink, it's _salmon_ ," Natsu protests as he opens the front door. He motions for me to follow him in and I shrug and do so. I was going to anyway, dummy.

I laugh and mumble "still a shade of pink, weirdo" as I follow him into his home.

"I heard that."

"Good. You were meant to," I snicker.

I think he just ignored me, but whatever. I won... and his hair actually is kinda cute, but I don't know if I'd ever tell him that.

As we enter the front of his house, we walk through this little foyer which leads directly to their living room area. It had one beige couch and a floral rug decorating the wood floor in front. When we walked a little further in, the dining room table is sitting with six chairs surrounding it and a china cabinet sitting against one of the walls surrounding the table. On the opposite side of the room as the cabinet, there is a doorway leading to the kitchen. As we walk further on into the house, I see a couple of sets of stairs. One that leads down to what looks like an entertainment center or mini home theater. I see a widescreen television hanging from the corner and two couches sitting in an L shape across from said TV. I notice there are a couple of closed doors throughout the halls, but I'm assuming they're like closets or bathrooms or something random like that. I wasn't going to ask.

Natsu races up a set of about five steps while I take my sweet time. I think he even skipped a step or two. When I get to the top step, I see there's a few rooms up here. There's a white door with a wooden 'W' surrounded by clouds and a sun on one side of the hall and another white door with a wooden 'N' that's got a dragon and flames surrounding it. I can only take a guess as to which room is Natsu's...

I knock and hear a "come in" slightly muffled by the door and other sounds coming from that room. God only knows what he could be doing in there with that racket.

I open the door and close my eyes immediately due to the brightness of the lights in his room. Geez, I feel like I'm looking at the _sun_ with how bright these lights are.

"Oh come on, Luce. I can't look THAT bad. You just opened the door," he whined.

"It's not you, Natsu. It's the lights. I feel like I just stared into the sun I need a few seconds for my eyes to adjust to this brightness."

"Oh, good. Well, then I'll lead you to my bed just hold out your hand."

I do as I'm told and reach out my right hand. I come in contact with skin, very warm skin, that seems to get warmer and warmer the longer I rest my hand there. I open my eyes slowly and carefully, adjusting to the lights slowly and look over to my extended arm and see my hand resting on Natsu's bare shoulder. Wait... _bare_? Oh, no. When did that happen?

"Uhhh, Natsu?" I look up at his face.

"Yeah?" He cocks his head to the side curiously like a dog.

"Did you lose something in the thirty seconds it took me to follow you up the stairs and knock on your door?"

"Uhhh, no. I don't think so. Why?"

"Look down."

He does. "Awww man, when did that happen?"

"That's exactly what I wanna know, Natsu."

"Ugh, I think I'm turning into Gray. That pervy popsicle is finally starting to rub off on me after all these years... and not in a good way."

"Yeah, I'm starting to see what you mean after witnessing Gray lose everything but his boxers and cross on one too many occasions at school." I chuckle, "Usually Cana or myself has to point it out to him. I don't see how you can NOT notice that you have almost completely stripped."

* * *

"Luce..."

"The only good part about it is that he's somewhat attractive, but,"

"Luce."

"...ever since I started hanging out with you guys, Juvia has been calling me 'Love Rival' which, I mean, doesn't make any sense because she's his girlfriend already and I wasn't really interested in him to begin with and,"

"Lucy!" I can't believe she hasn't heard me yet. Is she deaf or something?

"and so I wouldn't really want to look at him the way she stares at him all day. I'm sure those days she just wishes he would lose the boxers and just walk around the school in his birthday suit."

Ah, screw it! I've been wanting to do this for a while now.

"Although I feel like he might get detention for that. Or worse-"

* * *

I stop talking instantaneously with my eyes wide open when my mouth is covered by something warm, almost hot and somewhat chapped. My extended arm starts to bend and my eyes close as he comes closer. It feels gentle, cautious...almost nervous, like he's afraid of what might happen if something were to go wrong.

Wait... what? What's happening? What am I doing? What is _he_ doing?

He takes a hand and brings it up to cup my cheek and before I fully process what he's doing, he pulls away slightly.

"Luce..." he says in a husky, breathless voice as his eyes search mine for something and uses one thumb to gently caress my cheek and the other to play with my bottom lip. "...you were rambling again."


	11. Chapter 11

"Luce..." he says in a husky, breathless voice as he searches my eyes for something and uses one thumb to gently caress my cheek and the other to play with my bottom lip. "...you were rambling again."

"O-oh," I mutter still in a daze. "Sorry, I didn't realize it. I'll stop now so you can finish getting ready and we can head to my house."

"You don't have to stop talking, Lucy... just stop rambling on about how attractive you think Gray is or isn't. I barely like the guy as a dude, so, it's weird for me to hear."

"Oh... huh... didn't think about that," I laugh awkwardly.

"Hey, I just learned something new about you."

"And what's that?" I say still somewhat robotic.

"I know how to easily get your attention now," he says with a smirk. My entire face turns a deep shade of red, like I swallowed a Carolina Reaper whole.

"You IDIOT! We will NOT talk about that right now!" I holler as I give him my most frustrated, annoyed face I can muster.

A few moments later, the front door opens and closes again. We hear footsteps come barreling up the stairs like a herd of elephants. "I'm home!," I hear a young female voice call out.

"Hey, Wendy!" Natsu answers, snapping me out of my trance. Wait, Wendy? I feel like I know that name.

"Who's Wendy?" I ask Natsu.

"Oh, she's my little sister, well step sister- it's kind of a long story. I'll explain it later, but you should meet her. I'm sure you'd like her."

"O-okay. Yeah, sure. I'd love to," I smile at him.

"Great! Let's go down and say hi," he grins back at me.

Natsu, you always have the most infectious grins.

"Thanks!" I hear him say in my head. Wait, that wasn't in my head.

"Did I say that outloud?"

"Yep! Anyway, come on, Lucy!"

"Okay, Natsu! I'll be down in a second."

He shrugs and walks out of the room, still missing his shirt, but somehow he manages to keep a scaly looking scarf around his neck. How that is possible, I wish I knew. Oh my gosh, maybe he really _has_ been spending too much time around Gray.

* * *

"Hey, Natsu!," Wendy says as I walk down the stairs to the living room.

"Wendy, when you see mom later, can you tell her that I'm not gonna be home tonight? I'm going to Lucy's for her movie night and she invited all of our friends to stay at her place for the night. I wonder if she has the room for it... anyway will you do it for me?"

"Sure, Natsu. I heard you talking to someone upstairs, is that Lucy?"

I feel my cheeks start to burn.

"I'll take that response as a yes," she giggles.

"What happened up there?"

"You don't wanna know... you're too young for that anyways," I avert.

"What?! That's no fair! You HAVE to tell me! Especially after what I did for you the other day when you wished Zeref were still here. Come on, Natsu! PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEASE!," she pleads.

I sigh, "Fine, I kissed her. But that was it, and it was only because she wouldn't stop babbling."

"Are you sure?" I feel my face burn once again. Dammit emotions! "Your face tells me otherwise."

"Yes, I'm sure," I say straight faced.

"Okay, I believe you...," she starts. She better not be getting any crazy ideas. Then she adds "for now," with a smirk.

"WENDY!" I shout embarrassed. At that moment, I hear Lucy coming down the stairs. Just great. I hope she didn't hear any of that.

"Lucy, how much of that did you hear?"

"Hear of what? I've been upstairs trying to make my way through the mess that is your bedroom floor."

"Oh, good. Anyway, Lucy, this is my sister Wendy. Wendy," I gesture towards Lucy, "this is Lucy."

* * *

In all honesty, his floor wasn't all that messy. I was exploring and taking in his room more than cleaning it.

His room was definitely fitting to his personality. He had dark red walls, a blue carpet, very intricate sketches of dragons hanging on the red walls, a desk in one corner with a computer sitting on top, two beds, which I thought was odd until I saw the two closets in the room, and another desk on the opposite side of the room. The bed I was closest to had a red comforter with a big scaly dragon on it. I could only assume that's Natsu's since the other bed had a plain black and white plaid comforter with a little bit of gold trim.

There wasn't really much else on that side of the room, so whoever shared the room with Natsu isn't here. I also notice a guitar amp in the corner by the door. That's cool. I didn't know Natsu played guitar. At least, I think it's Natsu's.

"WENDY!", I hear from downstairs. "What did Natsu do this time?," I ask myself.

I head downstairs moments later and see Natsu and a young girl with long, dark blue pigtails I'm assuming to be Wendy, sitting on the couch.

"Lucy, how much of that did you hear?"

"Hear of what? I've been upstairs trying to make my way through the mess that is your bedroom floor."

"Oh, good. Anyway, Lucy, this is my sister Wendy. Wendy," he gestures towards me, "this is Lucy."

"Hi, Wendy. It's nice to meet you!," I smile widely at Wendy.

"Hi!," she waves. She's so cute!

"How old are you, Wendy?"

"I'm twelve! But don't judge me by my age or height. I'm tough like Natsu and smart. Even Natsu says I'm smarter than him at times!"

"Alright Wendy, that's not something we need to share with everyone."

"But I thought you would want to show me off, especially to your girlfriend..."

I giggle nervously as I feel my face flush and he covers her mouth with an uneasy laugh.

He looks at me seriously and says "you probably shouldn't mention this to anyone else, Lucy... either part. Please."

"Sure thing, Natsu. It'll be our little secret."

He sighs in relief and we head back up to his room. When we get there, the lighting doesn't seem so bad anymore, so I can actually keep my eyes open this time. I follow him in and he continues to gather his belongings in a little duffle bag. Then he goes to the bathroom to get what I'm assuming are his toiletries.

"Alright, I think I'm ready to go, Luce," he says as he tosses his little plastic baggy that contains his toothbrush and toothpaste into his overnight bag.

"Uhhhh, no you're not," I state matter-of-factly, while staring at his still-bare chest with a small smirk playing on my lips.

He looks down to meet where my eyes are gazing. "DAMMIT! I need a shirt."

He grabs a red pocket tee with a little pink dragon on the front of the pocket, puts it on, and then we say goodbye to Wendy and head in the direction of my house.

* * *

While we're walking in a comfortable silence, my mind wanders back to what happened earlier just before Wendy got home.

 _I lead her further into my room, place her outstretched hand on my shoulder, lead her into my room, wait for her eyes to adjust, and then try to get her attention so I can figure out what to pack before we head over to her house. Some days, she just talks too much. Nervously, I think of only one thing to do. I have to kiss her._

 _It'll be a quick way of getting her attention. So, I do it slowly. I rest my lips on hers for a moment while she stands there, not doing anything. So, to try and get some kind of reaction out of her, I walk a little closer to her. Her arm is still reaching out and her hand is resting on my upper arm now. The closer our bodies get, the warmer it seems to feel, even for me. Her eyelids droop with every shaky step I take towards her. I finally have enough courage to cup her cheek but by that time, I remember to breathe, so I break away slightly. I rest my forehead on hers while we catch our breaths._

 _"Luce... you were rambling again..."_

What the hell was I thinking? I could've done something so much better than that. I didn't have to kiss her. I could've pinched her or poked her or something but NO~, I just _had_ to kiss her. Natsu, you are such an IDIOT!

Lucy was absolutely right about that. I wonder...

"Hey, Luce?"

"Hmm?"

* * *

I am SO telling Levy about this the next chance I get.

"Do you wanna talk about what happened before?"

YES! Hell yeah! I definitely want to talk about what happened before... just not with you.


	12. Chapter 12

"Do you wanna talk about what happened before?"

Yeah, just not with you.

"Uhhhh, no thanks. Maybe some other time..."

"But-," he starts.

"I said no, Natsu. Now please drop it," I ask in a whisper.

I hear him huff and then it's silent once again. All I hear is the rapid beating of my heart. Why is it so fast? It isn't usually like this. I wonder if he can hear it too, since he seems to hear everything.

* * *

After another long stretch of silence, we arrive at her house, and I use the term 'house' loosely. It's more like a mansion. Her father must be one hell of a businessman if he has a house this big.

When we walk onto the property, we come up to a huge gate that has a giant fancy 'H' on the front. A little further inside the gate, right in the center of the path, there's a fountain that we have to maneuver around. Further along the path, there are zig-zagging hedges and about halfway up, there's a couple of sets of little cottages that I can only assume houses the staff. All I can think is 'this is huge!'

"Natsu, close your mouth, or else you'll start catching flies."

"Huh?" I feel Lucy push my chin up and hear my teeth clack together.

"Oh. Sorry, Luce. Didn't mean to stare but your house is just so big."

"It may appear big but it feels so much smaller without my mom here. I actually liked your home better. The way you were talking to your sister made me wish I had a younger sibling. That way, I would have someone at home to talk to other than Plue and occasionally our maid Virgo who is also my caretaker when my father is away on business trips like this."

"I didn't know it was like that for you."

"Yeah... but now that I have friends like you and the others, I don't think it'll be as lonely," she says with a smile, but somehow I can sense a hint of sadness in her voice.

"Hey, Lucy, look at me." She slowly lifts up her head to look at me. "Are you okay? You seem a little sad..."

"Uhh..." she hesitates.

"Lucy, trust me when I say this. I know when a girl is sad, even if it's just a little."

"You do?" she asks me with wide eyes.

"Mmmhm," I nod. "Having a younger sister like Wendy _and_ a best friend like Erza does help me figure things like that out. Oh, and if any girl I personally know is sad- even just a little bit, or worse, crying, it's my job to help them feel better _and_ the person who caused it always has hell to pay with me."

She starts to chuckle softly and I see a hint of a real smile forming on her lips.

"Oh, and you know that includes you too, right Luce?" I give her a crooked little grin.

"I assumed that was so, Natsu," She says now trying to fight her facial muscles as she smiles up at me. That makes me happy. I did my job as a friend.

"See, now don't you feel better?"

"Actually, yeah. I do. Thanks, Natsu," she says smiling as we finally get to the front door of her father's mansion.

"So, Natsu, what would you do to my father since he's mostly the reason I'm not always happy?"

"Hmmmm..." I hum stroking my chin with my fingers. "Well, I wouldn't want to get arrested so I probably would just do more things to make you feel better rather than do anything to him, unless he physically has hurt you. In that case, we should probably go to the police for that. Don't'cha think?"

"Yeah, good point. And no, he hasn't done anything like that. But I will definitely come to you in the future when I'm not feeling like myself."

"Good," I nod once at her.

"So," I start, "What do you need my help with, Lucy?"

"I need your help moving the big couches further back in the living room so we can spread out on the floor while we watch the movies. Oh, and I need your help picking out snacks for all of us to enjoy. Sound good?"

"You can't have your maid or whatever help you with that? Wait, did you say food? I'm in!"

She says between giggles, "Although Virgo is extremely strong, I don't see her car in the driveway, so I don't think she's home right now and everyone else has finished their work shifts for the day. So, it'll just be us."

"Ahhh..." That makes sense.

"Sounds good, Star. Just lead the way so I don't get lost."

"Follow me, Natsu!"

* * *

Wait, did he just say Star or am I hearing things.

"Hold on, what did you just say?"

"Lead the way so I don't get lost?" He asks confused.

"No, no. Before that..."

"I said 'sounds good', Luce. Why? What's wrong?"

"Nothing," I shake my head. "I just think I'm hearing things, that's all."

We make our way into the house and after we are both trampled by Plue, I lead the way to the living room area. There are two big couches in the shape of an L in the middle of the room. They face the wall that has the flatscreen television mounted to it. There is also a little table and an ottoman in front of the couches. I instruct Natsu to grab one end of the bigger couch and I grab the other. Together we manage to lift the couch and bring it closer to the wall behind it. Then he brings the ottoman and places it in front of that couch. I grab one end of the redwood table and he grabs the other, and we bring it out of the room completely since it's pretty valuable and I don't want it to break. Finally, we both grab opposite ends of the other couch and move it back away from the TV and into the open space that we came through to get into the room.

"Is that everything, Lucy?", Natsu asks me when we let go of the last couch.

"I think so, yeah. Now, we go into the kitchen and see what snacks we can put together before everyone gets here."

"Alright! Food! I'm all fired up, now!" I don't think I have seen another man as excited about food as he is.

"Natsu, we haven't even gotten anything out yet. How are you so 'fired up' already?"

"I just love food. Hey, do you have anything spicy?", he asks me as the three of us walk to the kitchen.

Plue joined us after we rearranged the furniture. I sent him to my room before then since I didn't want him getting hurt. I guess he decided it was safe when he heard the word food.

"Uhhh... I mean, we probably have some red pepper flakes or hot sauce somewhere in the spice cabinet but I don't really know because I don't usually make any spicy food."

"Well, do you make any food at all?"

"Yes, I do. Whenever Virgo's not around, like she is now, I cook all the time. Back when my mom was around, we used to cook together and she taught me everything I know."

"Hey, Lucy?," Natsu turns to me.

"Yeah?"

"I don't mean anything by this but I'm curious. When did your mom die?"

"She passed on when I was ten. She got very sick very suddenly and there was no known cure to what she had. I'm not even sure the doctors knew what was wrong with her. She was so weak and frail that it seemed like if you just touched her she would shatter into a million pieces."

* * *

"Wow, Lucy."

I didn't know it was like that for her. But at least she's not the only one with a tragic backstory.

"Hey, you know you're not alone. My family is not all it seems. At least, it used to be like that."

"What do you mean? You have two parents that love you and a little sister and (I'm assuming) a brother. I have no mom, a dad that I don't even think knows I exist anymore and a maid who, although she tries her best, will never make up for my broken family," she says as her voice cracks.

"I'm sorry, Lucy. I didn't mean it like that. Let me try and explain." I take a deep breath and so does she.

"Remember when I said that I would explain my family situation to you earlier while we were at my house?" She nods.

"Well, I think now's a pretty good time to do that."

She sniffs, "O-okay. Go ahead."

We sit down at her kitchen table and I start, "When my older brother, Zeref and I were much younger, our whole family went out to dinner one night and we got into a bad accident."

I had just started telling the story and already, I look to Lucy and see that she has tears in her eyes. I have to be strong and not cry while I'm telling her this story. Come on, Natsu, it happened a long time ago. You can do this.

"Zeref remembers it better than I do since he was eight at the time, and I was only four, but he told me that we hit a tractor-trailer on the highway. He was the lucky one and made out with minimal scratches, but the rest of us weren't as fortunate. Both of our birth parents died on impact and the two of us were immediately brought to the hospital by EMTs to get treated. Zeref said that all he got was a couple of broken bones. He was more worried about me than himself, since I was the one in more critical condition. He said that for a while, I was completely dead but they were able to revive me with their persistence and his begging."

I pause and look at her again. She now has tears streaming down her cheeks. She's not full-on sobbing but I am not sure if I should continue or not.

"Hey, Lucy? You okay? Do you want me to stop? I will if it's too much for you."

"Huh? No... you can continue. I never see you this serious so, I want to hear the rest of this," she says as she wipes her face of the tear stains.

"Are you sure?"

"Mmmhmm, yeah," she smiles.

"Alright then, when I got out of the hospital, I knew we were orphans. We were put into a foster home for about a year until Igneel, our father, adopted us. He said that he and his wife, Grandeeney, had always wanted children but were never able to. They gave us a great home, better than I could ever imagine. And about a year later, they got a bigger house and adopted Wendy from the same foster home they adopted us from. She was only about a year old at the time, but she completed our little family."

"Natsu... that's just... wow. Huh, well I guess that explains why Wendy looks nothing like you."

She smiles and I laugh after I protest weakly with an "Oi!"

Shortly after I hear my stomach start to growl and that reminds me of the reason why we're in the kitchen in the first place.

"Hey, Luce. Weren't we supposed to be getting snacks for later?"

"Oh, yeah. I guess we kinda got involved, huh?"

"Yeah... hey, do you have anything I can have now? I'm kinda hungry."

She rolls her eyes and then digs through her refrigerator for something for both of us to munch on.


	13. Chapter 13

Natsu and I munch on some sandwiches I made, and I give Plue a doggy biscuit since he was in the room and begging since the word 'food' was mentioned for the second time. Natsu insisted that I drag out the hot sauce and put some of it on his sandwich, which I did. Once we had our own little snack, we started to gather snacks together for the rest of the group that was coming later tonight. That included multiple bags of both tortilla and potato chips, salsa, dip, popcorn bags that we can pop once the rest of the crew gets here, and drinks. There's water, soda, tea and lemonade that I made the other day.

"Alrighty, I think we're ready to go," I say to Natsu as I hear the door open.

"Princess! I've returned!" Virgo says as she enters the house.

"Hey, Virgo!" I shout back from the kitchen as Natsu sits there, puzzled.

* * *

Princess? Why the hell is that woman calling Lucy 'princess'?

"Natsu? What's with the face?"

"Why does your maid call you princess? You're not really a princess, are you?"

She laughs "No, Natsu. I'm not a princess... at least not in this life. She used to call me that when I was little and I enjoyed it then. Now she still does it but it's embarrassing so I asked her to only call me that when we're alone. Even that took a while because she's so stubborn. It's less embarrassing for me that way."

"Oh, well can I-"

"Absolutely not! You cannot call me that. Don't even mention this to anyone else," she states with her 'Lucy glare'.

"Got it, Natsu?"

"Y-yes ma'am!" I nod my head so much, my neck feels like it's gonna snap. Wow, who knew I would have another girl friend that can scare me like Erza. I shiver at the thought of what Erza would do to me if she was here.

"Good," Lucy says sweetly. It's scary that she can switch that quickly.

A few moments later, a woman with short pink hair, bracelets that look like shackle parts and a maid's outfit comes into the kitchen.

I wonder what Lucy would look like in a maid's outfit like that... I bet she'd look _hot!_

"Ow! What was that for?!" I ask Lucy who just elbowed my side.

"I know what you're thinking and you better stop those thoughts right now before I kick you."

"Yes, ma'am!" I reply weakly. I don't want another 'Lucy Elbow' or a 'Lucy Kick.' If her elbow's that pointy, I can only cringe at the image of what her kick would feel like...

"Oh, hello Princess," Virgo addresses Lucy, which by the way, hearing more often doesn't make it any less weird. "I didn't realize you were in the kitchen, or that you had a friend over so soon. How long have you two been dating?"

"Virgo! We are NOT dating! Natsu is just a good friend. He walked home with me after school since I asked him to help me set up for tonight."

"Oh... my apologies Miss Lucy. I only assumed..."

"Yeah, well you assumed wrong," Lucy says with a tomato-red face.

* * *

Some days I really don't know what to do with Virgo. Like right now, I want to crawl into a hole and die from embarrassment.

"Uhhh... come on, Natsu. Let's go up to my room and hang out while we wait for everyone else to get here. You can help me pick some movies while we're up there."

"Uhhh, okay, sure. Wh-whoa!" Natsu says as I grab his wrist and drag him out of the kitchen and as far away from Virgo as possible.

"I can't believe I've been mistaken for your girlfriend twice in the same day," I grunt to Natsu. "Can this get any more embarrassing?"

"I don't know, Lucy... I don't think it's that bad."

"Not that bad? Since when is it 'not that bad' that I'm mistaken as your girlfriend twice in the same day?"

"Well, Wendy was just joking. She knows you're one of my best friends, so don't be upset with her."

Hold on a sec... "You consider me one of your best friends? I've only known you for a couple of months."

"Of course, Lucy. We hang out at school and talk every chance we get. Once you started hanging out with our group, I automatically considered you a best friend."

I never thought about it that way. "That's so sweet, Natsu."

When we make it to my bedroom door, I let Natsu in and then tell him that I will be right back. He nods and I warn him "Don't. Touch. _A_ _nything!"_

When I get back to my room a few minutes later, Natsu is nowhere to be seen but there's a lump in my bed and a white, scaly scarf sticking out on one side. I pull on the scarf and see Natsu roll out of the bed and land on my floor.

"Wake up, you moron!"

"Mmm.. five more minutes," he mumbles sleepily.

"No, now! What the hell were you doing in there? I was gone for two minutes!," I shout back at him.

"It looked comfy, and I just got tired all of a sudden." He yawns, "I think it was from moving all of that furniture in your living room, Luce."

He yawns again, preparing to go back to sleep, now on my floor, but I yank at his scarf and pull him up to his feet.

"What'd ya do that for, Lucy?"

"I'm trying to stop you from sleeping right this moment. Save that for later when we actually will be sleeping."

His eyes light up, "Can I sleep in here with you? I promise I'll behave myself."

"Wha-No! Absolutely not! Not now, not ever!"

* * *

Lucy's no fun. She needs to lighten up. Maybe when I get home tomorrow, I'll have the chance to message her, as Sal of course, and tell her to take it easy and go with the flow more often.

I wonder if I told her I was Sal, would this go any differently?

*.*.*.*.*.*

 _"Well, what if I told you I was Salamander, the guy you've been messaging on IT2U for the past two months, huh? What would you do then?"_

 _"What did you just say?"_

 _"That I'm Salamander... Star."_

 _"What? That was you? This whole time?"_

 _I nod, a little frightened. Tears start to form in her eyes as she storms off..._

 _*.*.*.*.*.*_

I don't think so... I keep getting the same result every time. Lucy upset with me, possibly hating me and never wanting to talk to me again.

* * *

He sighs, deep in thought.

"Something on your mind, Natsu?"

"Nah, just thinking about something..."

"That's the exact same thing that I just said," I deadpan.

"Oh, sorry," he chuckles."I guess I just need to think about something else for a while. Hey, didn't you say you wanted my help picking out a movie?"

"Oh, yeah. I did." I open up a closet door in my room. This closet has my entire movie collection. I'm sure there's something in there he'd want to watch.

"Hey, you got any ninja movies?"

"Does TMNT count?" I shrug.

"Ehhh... not really the ninjas I was looking for," he chuckles.

"Then, I got nothin'. Sorry, Natsu."

In the end, we each chose three movies for the rest of us to decide between. Natsu's choices included Rocky, The Terminator, and Scream of the Banshee and my three were Frozen, Mean Girls and Alien. Wait, Scream of The Banshee. I don't remember owning that one. Where did that come from?

Anyway, now that we've done all we have to do, we go outside for a walk since it's so nice out. We talk about random things and he makes me laugh with his stupid facial expressions. When we get back, I see that Plue is whining because he wants to come out too. I go into our backyard, open the screen door, and as soon as there's enough room for him to squeeze through, Plue jumps on Natsu and knocks him onto the ground.

* * *

While I'm on the ground with Plue on top of me and licking my face, all I hear is Lucy laughing her head off at me. No apology, no 'are you okay?'- no. She's just standing there hunched over, laughing. Thanks Lucy... big help you are.

"Will you... stop... laughing... and get... your dog... off of my face, please?" I ask in between licks.

"Awww why? He likes you. I think he wants to play with you," she giggles.

I manage to grab Plue off of my face and get up off the grass. There are some balls, bones and chew toys in a corner and Lucy tosses me one of the balls. Plue sees it and jumps up to try and grab it but I keep it high out of his reach. Then I toss it back to Lucy. This is gonna be fun.

* * *

We play monkey in the middle with Plue for a while longer until Natsu just gives him the ball and we all go back into the house for some hydration. Afterwards, Plue heads to my room slowly, panting the entire way, and at the same time, I hear the front doorbell ring. The first of our friends have arrived.

"Princess, do you want me to get that?" Virgo asks from the hallway.

"No thanks, Virgo! I'll get it!," I shout as I sprint to the front door.


	14. Chapter 14

Lucy opens the door and we see Levy and Gajeel at the door. Of course _they're_ the first ones to arrive. I just hope he doesn't mess anything up for me.

"Levy! Gajeel! Come on in," Lucy says as she gestures behind us.

"Hey Lu! Oh, hey Natsu! I didn't expect you to be here so early," Levy says surprised.

"Yeah, well Lucy's one of my best friends and she needed my help getting everything ready for all of us, so of course I would help her."

"Nice goin', pinkie now can you get out of the doorway so we can get in or are you just gonna stand there all night?," Gajeel growls at me.

"I'm not the only one in the way, Lucy is too, metalhead!," I retort.

"Don't be blaming me for this! This is your problem, guys. Come on Lev! Let's leave these two to work out their... issues."

Levy laughs as the two girls squeeze through next to me and into the house.

"Hey, Shrimp! Where do you think you're going?," Gajeel asks his shorter half.

"Inside with Lucy, obviously. Were you not paying attention, or do you just have short-term memory loss?" Levy snaps back at Gajeel as she and Lucy walk further into the house.

"Nah, he's got a head full of nuts and bolts. There's no room up there for a brain, so how could he have memory loss?" I joke, which I probably shouldn't have.

* * *

Levy and I successfully get away from the testosterone-fueled argument that's occurring at my front door. When we get into the living room, Levy and I sit down on one of the couches and she asks me "so, has anything new happened since I saw you last at school?"

My face immediately flushes and she giggles, "I'll take that as a yes. What happened, Lu? You know you have to tell me."

I swallow hard, nod and stutter "Na-Natsu kinda k-kissed me..."

Levy's eyes grow ten times their original size and her jaw slacks.

"He did what?! Oh, Lucy you have got to tell me everything! Don't even think about leaving out a single detail. You're a writer, I know you can be descriptive. So, what was it like? Did you like it? Come on, Lu! Spit it out!"

I take another gulp of air, "Natsu kissed me. We had stopped by his house to get his stuff and let his family know that he was coming over earlier than I'm sure they expected and we were alone at the time. It was before his sister got home, we were in his room, his lights were bright, so I had to close my eyes as soon as I opened the door, and he had taken off his shirt unknowingly. It reminded me of Gray because Natsu didn't even seem to notice until I pointed it out to him. Anyway, he led me into the middle of the room, and as soon as my eyes adjusted to the light, I noticed the missing garment and commented on it. I guess I compared him to Gray more than he thought was appropriate because out of nowhere, he started kissing me."

"And? How was it? You have to tell me."

"Very surprising, honestly. It definitely shut me up, that's for sure."

"Come on, Lucy. I know you, and I know that can't be it! There has to be more than just 'very surprising'. Tell me this: did you at least enjoy it?"

"I honestly can't say... Since I met him a few months ago, I haven't thought about Natsu any other way than just a really good friend, but there have been these small moments where I thought there could be something more but then they just get stripped away because his attention would move to either joking around or fighting with one of the guys."

"Can you give me an example?"

I open my mouth to say something, but close it and stop to think for a few moments. Recently, the only time he really interrupted a serious moment was when he told me that I was talking too much right after he kissed me, which honestly, I don't believe was entirely true. I open my mouth again to say something to Levy when we both hear yelling and groaning coming from the foyer.

Levy sighs, "That sounds like Natsu..."

"Uh oh, what did he do this time?" I say as Levy and I jump up off the couch and head in the direction of the unpleasant sound.

* * *

Almost immediately after I make the joke I probably shouldn't have, I feel all of the air escape my lungs and see a fist in my gut.

"Ow..." I squeak out.

"That's gonna leave a mark, Salamander. Gihee," Gajeel laughs.

In response, I punch _him_ in the gut and growl, "what the hell did I say about calling me that, metal freak?"

"Jeez, cool it hot head. No need to get yourself all twisted. The girls are inside talking. They didn't hear me," Gajeel says smirking.

"Who you callin' a hot head, steel-face!"

"That's what you get outta that sentence? The horrible nickname? I thought you didn't want me calling you... that. And I'm calling you a hot head, you idiot! I think all that spicy food you get from Aunt Grandeeney is going to your brain."

I growl at him again and punch him in the face which causes my knuckles to start bleeding. He punches me in the face in almost the exact same spot as I punched him and asks "do you really wanna start a fight with me, Salamander?!"

"Maybe I do, since you seem to be ignoring the one thing I told you to do!" I shout back.

"I'm tellin' ya, they're not paying attention! You don't have to worry fire boy."

"For your sake I hope you're right, 'cause If they did and you blew it for me, I won't go easy on ya. I'll kick your ass for sure," I promise Gajeel.

* * *

Levy and I rush to the foyer to see both of the boys panting with swelling and bloody faces. We give each other a look that said 'I'll take one, you take the other' and we did just that. I led Natsu to the bathroom in my bedroom and Levy took Gajeel to the main bathroom.

"How does Levy know where she's going, Lucy?" Natsu asks me while we're walking to my room.

"She's been here before a couple of times since we do a lot of projects together for school. That and we just like hanging out here together. It's less lonely with a real friend here," I explain to him.

The rest of the short walk to my room was surprisingly quiet.

"You alright, Natsu? You're really quiet."

He nods, "Yeah, I think so."

"What were you two fighting about anyway? He and Levy _just_ got here."

"I know he did, but he was being a stupid idiot and wasn't listening to me," Natsu says.

"Oh, what about?," I ask curiously.

"Nothing, Lucy. It doesn't matter now."

"O-okay..." sorry I asked.

I walk with Natsu into my bedroom and have him sit on my bed and NOT fall asleep while I get the first aid kit from the bathroom. I can't really afford to explain why there possibly could be blood on my pillowcase.

"Okay, Natsu. Let me bandage you up so you don't get blood all over my room. Actually, let's do this in the bathroom... okay?"

He nods. I tell him to wash his hand and face, which he does, and then he sits down on my toilet seat cover and I start to bandage his face.

"Gajeel got ya good, huh?" I ask trying to lighten the mood.

"It's because of those stupid piercings and studs the guy's got in his head and all the metal he wears. I swear I see him eat metal sometimes, too. If he didn't have all of that shit on him, I would've knocked him out for sure."

"And what would that prove, exactly?" I chuckle softly while applying medicine to his cuts.

"My point of listening to me instead of doing whatever the hell he wants," Natsu grumbles.

He bandages up his own hand while I take care of his face.

"Now, where else did he get you?"

"My gut," he winces as he rubs his hand over his stomach.

"Lift up your shirt and lemme see. I want to know if I need to do anything else besides just getting you ice."

"Oh, so now you want my shirt up? Couldn't get enough before, could ya," he smirks as he does what I ask.

"Natsu! This is no time for joking around. I'm trying to help you, here."

He huffs "you really need to lighten up Luce. You're too uptight," he mumbles as he lets his shirt go.

"Well, I think you need to be more careful. You're too reckless and you hurt yourself more this way. What would Wendy or your mom say if either of them saw this first?" I ask, concerned.

"They would probably say the same thing as you..." he sighs.

"Wendy, your mom, and myself all care about you Natsu. We worry about you and we know when something is wrong because that's what family (and best friends) do for each other. Well, most family members..."

"Yeah, not Gajeel. He's the one who started this whole thing."

"I'm sure he cares too. He just has his own way of showing it," I smile reassuringly.

"Come on, Natsu. Let's go get you some ice for that so it doesn't bruise badly tomorrow."

He nods and follows me to my kitchen where we find Levy and Gajeel.

* * *

Shortly after we all meet up in the kitchen again, the doorbell rings and the rest of our friends arrive in pairs. The next pair to arrive was Erza and Jellal, followed shortly by Gray and Juvia.

"Alright! Now that the Popsicle princess is here with his girlfriend we can get this party started! Let's get some popcorn poppin' and start watching the first movie!," I shout to nobody in particular.

The other pairs talk together and decide on the first movie which was Alien: one of the ones Lucy picked. Once she started up the movie, she sat on the couch in between Levy and me and grabbed one of the bowls of fresh popcorn off of the floor and placed it in her lap so the three of us could share. Honestly, I think she ate half of it herself... or maybe that was me. I wasn't really paying attention. I was more focused on the movie, since I haven't seen it in a while.

By the time the first movie was over, I see three of the four girls curled up in balls facing their partners, or trying to face as much of themselves away from the screen as possible... and then there's Lucy. Lucy seemed like she was ready to do the same a couple of times, but she stayed strong, I'll give her credit for that. I will admit that I was watching Lucy jump more than I was watching the actual movie. Is that creepy? Mmm, probably. Who cares?

She probably didn't even notice anyway.


	15. Chapter 15

While we are watching the first movie out of the six that we have picked, I notice Natsu constantly gazing in my direction instead of the screen. I think it's a little weird and want to ask him about it but every time I get the courage to, the movie gets interesting, or gross and almost terrifying. Now that the movie's over, he's talking with everyone else in the room like nothing ever happened. I want to know what was up with him, so maybe I'll ask him the next chance I get to talk to him alone.

Since the majority of the voters of the first movie were male, the women in the room get to choose the next movie.

"Ladies, we have Frozen, Mean Girls, Jaws, Rocky, and The Terminator. What would you all like to watch next?"

"Hmmm... If Mira and Lisanna were here, they'd choose Frozen. They _love_ anything Disney related, so in honor of them, let's watch it," Levy suggests happily. I smile and nod, making a mental note to ask someone about Lisanna and Mira later. Now's not the right time.

Instead, I put on Frozen for all of us to watch. All of the girls, including myself, are singing all of the songs and loving it! I thought I heard Juvia mumble "new love rival" when Elsa first appeared grown up. I wanted to tell her that she has nothing to worry about since Elsa's a movie character but Gray beat me to the punch.

"What are you talkin' about, Juvia?" Gray questions, "It's an animated movie!"

"Ya know, I can actually see steam coming off the top of Elsa's head, here..." Natsu jokes as he points a thumb at Gray.

As both Juvia and now Gray cool off, (hehehe ice puns) the rest of us are fighting back giggles while trying to watch the rest of the movie.

This was definitely a good idea to put on after Alien. Even the guys seem to be enjoying themselves, well the ones that aren't sulking in a corner. Gajeel cracked pretty early. He started singing along with Levy at the duet "Love is an Open Door." I knew he sang but I didn't know he did Disney duets. He actually wasn't that bad. Us girls gave them both a standing ovation at the end of the song.

Natsu stayed strong until "Let It Go" where he really let it _all_ go. He even got our resident cold fish, Gray to join him at the bridge of the song. Now that was fun to watch.

The only stone-face left out of the guys was Jellal. Erza wasn't too happy with him once the movie finished. She almost impaled him with her sword plushie, which by the way, I have no idea where or even how she got it. I'm not sure I really want to know, to be honest.

"Erza, do you _really_ think that's gonna work on him? He's known you the longest out of all of us." Natsu states.

"Yeah! He knows ALL your tricks and weaknesses," Gray butts in momentarily.

"They're right, you know," Jellal says to Erza with a slight smirk. He grabs the blade end of the plushie and pulls on it, sweeping Erza off of her feet and into his arms. His face inches closer and closer to hers. Everything looks like it's going in slow motion, until he whispers "I know all of your secrets," right before he...

* * *

OKAY, I think it's time for more food. I don't want to see those two make out right in front of me. I see enough sucking face from Gray and his rain woman and I _really_ don't need any of it from the childhood sweethearts too.

As if right on cue, I hear high pitched squealing coming from the living room. It sounds like a drove of pigs came through that room with the amount of squealing that's damaging my poor eardrums.

After it's safe to head back into the living room, I head there with a bowl of freshly popped popcorn since we ate all of what Lucy made during the first two movies.

* * *

"Hey, Lucy! Can we watch one of the movies _I_ picked next?" Natsu says with popcorn kernels crunching in his mouth.

"Uhhh, sure! Why not? Which one did you have in mind Natsu?"

"This one," Natsu points at the horror film, Scream of the Banshee, still with popcorn in his mouth.

I, for one, don't even know where that movie came from. I don't recall ever buying it. I'm not the biggest fan of horror movies, but I will watch one occasionally. Although, tonight I really don't want it to be the occasion. So, with a pleading face, I look at the girls and they all shrug as if they're okay with it and the guys look just as impassive as ever. Thanks for the help guys.

I sigh loudly "I guess we're watching Scream of the Banshee, then."

* * *

This is great! I am so glad I packed this movie with all of my stuff. It's one of my favorite scary movies, and honestly the only movie I was really looking forward to tonight. Although, Lucy doesn't look as thrilled about the movie as I do. Oh, well... if Luce doesn't like it, she'll have to suffer through it, I guess.

After Lucy hesitantly puts the movie on, she plops down on the couch in her spot between myself and Levy, but this time, she came with a white and gray striped, fuzzy blanket that she shares with her blunette friend. Wait, where was she hiding _that_ this whole time? It looks so soft! I wish I had one...

I cross my arms and pout for a few moments, but then the movie starts and everyone in the room is silent.

About fifteen minutes into the movie, Lucy jumps. Nothing even happened yet, so I don't get why she almost jumped out of her skin. At the real first scare a few minutes later, I feel an arm snake around my own. I look over at Lucy and see that her eyes are glued to the screen and she's gripping my arm like a vise.

She stays that way for a while, but loosens up eventually, giving me the opportunity to smoothly remove my arm from in between hers and around her back. A little while later, someone in the movie is found dead, one of the characters is having creepy hallucinations, and Lucy is now turned to face me with one eye on the screen and the other buried in my chest, along with the rest of her head. I just hold her close and soothingly rub her back to help her calm down.

I know I said Lucy would have to suffer through the movie, but I didn't know it would be this bad for her. If I really knew she didn't want to watch it, I wouldn't have suggested it. She should've told me that she doesn't like these kinds of movies. I would've suggested one of the other movies. I guess all I can do now is watch the movie and help Lucy if she needs it.

* * *

Three thoughts are cycling through my head right now. One: WHY did we have to watch this movie?, two: Why me?, and three: Is it over yet?

Wait, we're actually coming to a calm part of the movie, this is good.

I look away from the screen briefly to the rest of my friends in the room. Levy is curled up next to Gajeel again, Erza is huddling next to Jellal, and Juvia is silently watching next to a mostly-nude Gray. I guess nothing really scares her, and where the hell did his clothes go?

Next, I turn my head in the direction of Natsu and see what I- or my body, has been doing throughout this movie. I didn't even realize it, but I've been clutching onto his arm for what must be a while now, since my knuckles are whiter than usual. I loosen up my grip a little bit, to give my fingers and hands some relief, as well as his arm. I feel kinda bad about it, but at least he was here.

He didn't seem like he was judging me either, because he wrapped his arm around my back and started rubbing it once I jumped at another jump scare. At least, I noticed some of the others jump this time. It's good to know, I'm not the only one frightened by this movie. But I still wish it was over soon!

Thankfully, the movie ended about a half hour later. It was a sad ending, for a horror flick, but surprisingly I think it fit the movie well.

I don't think I will watch another horror movie like that for a while.


	16. Chapter 16

**Readers, prepare yourselves because this story is about to get a whole lot more complicated...**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Once the credits start rolling, I uncoil my arms from around Lucy to let both her and myself stretch after practically sitting on the couch in a ball for the past hour and a half. Lucy leaves the room after she twists her core to crack and stretch out her back, probably to go pee or get more food. I personally would appreciate the second option. My metal brained cousin lazily strolls over to me, stating "you and Bunny girl were gettin' kinda close, eh fire boy?"

I glare at him and spit out "So? What's it to you, Gajeel?"

"Nothin! But I do wanna know, are you ever gonna tell her your little secret, cuz or are you gonna wait until she finds out on her own?" I relax the tension in my face and stare at him in shock. I have to tell her. Maybe I should just go out with her the next time she asks as 'Sal' and that'll get rid of the guilt I'm suddenly feeling.

"Yes! I will!," I snap back at Gajeel, "I just need the right time to tell her."

"Well, I suggest doing it as soon as possible, well, at least while you're still acting this way around her. Ya know, helpful, sweet, not destructive... like that," Erza and Elsa say simultaneously.

"How'd you guys _do_ that?" I ask the two of them baffled.

"Gihee, magic..." Gajeel butts in.

"OH, SHUT UP!"

* * *

"OH, SHUT UP!" I hear Natsu shout from the living room.

"What did he do _now_?" I whine to myself as I'm marching back to the living room hunched over, with my arms hanging at my sides, frowning.

I walk back to the living room like that to see Natsu fuming. He looks about ready to punch Gajeel's lights out.

"NATSU! Whatever you do, do not repeat what happened before everyone else got here, ya hear me?! If you so much as _think_ about hitting him again tonight, I'm not talking to you at all next week," I threaten.

That seemed to do the trick, because his face relaxed, he unclenched his fists and his ears stopped steaming... some days, I wonder if he has a fire burning somewhere inside his body.

"Wow, Lucy. Do you have some kind of Natsu magic? I can't even get him to calm down that fast," Erza admits, surprised.

"I might, but I don't know if I would call it that...who really knows anyway? We all might have some kind of magic, we could just not know about it, or it's in another world..." I suggest sarcastically while waving my fingers around at the last part.

"Luce, you sound more crazy than usual," Natsu chuckles.

"OH, SHUT UP NATSU!" I snap back at him.

I don't even think a whole second passes before both of us are hunched over laughing.

"Uhhh, what just happened? You were just shouting at him and now the two of you are laughing so hard you're having a hard time standing. Did we miss something here, Lu?" Levy asks me as Natsu is still laughing and I try and catch my breath.

I look to Natsu for help but he just continues to laugh. I explain to my blunette friend, "because I sounded _just_ like him when he told Gajeel to shut up a few minutes ago," I say between giggles.

Levy rolls her eyes and shakes her head at us saying "you two are such weirdos."

"HEY!/Oi!" we protest in unison.

"See? Even your protests are synchronized," she laughs.

All eight of us then split into fours for the night. The ladies follow me to my room, much to the men's protests, and the men stay in the living room.

When the girls get to my room, Erza and Juvia both have wide eyes and an open mouth. This happens every time someone new comes to this part of my house and I don't even know why. It's not that different from anyone else's. It may just be a little bigger than theirs.

"If you two are done gaping at my room, we can figure out sleeping arrangements," I say smiling brightly at them.

"Okay, Lucy. It's your room, you tell us where you think we should go."

"Well, this bed is pretty big so I bet two of us could share it, and then the rest can spread the extra pillows around the carpet and use those with a couple of blankets each. Sound good?"

I look up to my friends who are all smiling widely at me. It's actually a little creepy, especially after the torture I went through with that last movie.

I shiver at the thought.

Levy offered to go on the floor, along with Erza so Juvia and I shared my bed. It wasn't that uncomfortable to share with her, honestly. She's a very nice girl, just very boyfriend-obsessed.

Once we said our goodnights to each other after staying up talking about nonsense for nearly three hours straight, it was lights out and we were fast asleep.

*.*.*.*.*.*

 _I'm a celestial wizard capable of calling upon celestial spirits, or the beings found in the world between the stars, for help and I find myself in a small port town called Hargeon. I came by in hopes of finding some new powerful gate keys since I only have two really powerful ones. I walk into the only magic shop I see in town and it doesn't even look that impressive. I ask the owner if there are any other shops in the town but he says that the town is more of a fishing town than a town of magic. I guess I understand; it is a port after all. I do find a key for Canis Minor, and even though it's a common key, it's still really cute and I wanted it anyway. It cost me way more than it really should have, even with my special brand of bargaining._

 _Once I leave the magic shop, I'm walking over this bridge and I hear some girls chatting about a 'salamander' and I ask out loud "Salamander? You mean the fire wizard who can do magic beyond anything that anyone can buy from a magic shop? He's in Hargeon? This is amazing! I always wanted to meet him! I wonder what he looks like! I bet he's handsome!"_

 _I head down to where I see all of the girls gathering and when I get closer, I find my heart racing and my body sweating. Why am I feeling this way? Is it because he's a famous wizard?_

 _I'm about to go talk to him, but I'm interrupted by a guy with pink hair, a scaly-looking scarf, blue cat, and a red coat asking for an 'Igneel,' whoever that is. I'm guessing he didn't find him, but for some reason, I am not feeling the same way about this 'Salamander' as all of the other girls are anymore. He tries to give the pink-haired guy an autograph but he declines and 'Salamander''s groupies beat him up and toss him away like a piece of trash. Then 'Salamander' snaps his fingers and a purple flame appears around his feet and carries him away. I take a closer look at the guy as he snaps and see that he's wearing rings and one has a few hearts in it._

 _"Charm rings, huh?" I ask myself._

 _"Who the heck was that guy," the pink-haired guy asks._

 _"I don't know, but he was a real creep, if ya ask me," I say._

 _He looks up at me a little confused and I thank him for his help by offering him lunch. I didn't know it would cost me as much as it has. This guy eats like a vacuum. I do introduce myself to the two of them an learn a little bit about him while he's eating, though. His name is Natsu and his cat's name is Happy and apparently they're looking for a dragon named Igneel. What dragon would come to a small port town and not be seen? That's pretty stupid if you ask me._

 _We move past it and we end up talking about magic and guilds. Well, it's more of me explaining to him what they are because I'm assuming he has no idea. So, once I explain what 'Salamander' was doing to all of the other girls, I also explain that guilds are where wizards gather to get jobs and I start getting carried away and explain my favorite guild, Fairy Tail. I'm still hoping Salamander can help me get into that guild one day._

 _*.*.*.*.*.*_

"Luce," I hear whispered in my ear.

"Lucy, wake up."

I open my eyes to the sound of my name and see that Natsu has somehow replaced Juvia in the middle of the night.

I yawn, "what time is it, and what the hell are you doing in my bed?" I rub my eyes, "you weren't here when I fell asleep."

"Juvia came and got me. She said you were tossing and turning and saying my name all night."

"I was? Well, you were in my dream just now, which was weird, but I don't remember much from it. Just that you were in it and it had to do with magic and this creepy guy named 'Salamander'. It was a weird ass dream Natsu, trust me."

He chuckles, "it sounds like something your brain would come up with, weirdo."

"Hey!" I pout at him. He mimics my facial expression which does make me laugh, but I still can't get the thought of Salamander- my Salamander- being a total creep like the one in my dream.

 **So, I'm curious, what do you guys think? Leave a review and let me know.**

 **Byeeee!**


	17. Chapter 17

I'm woken up from my sleep by what feels like an earthquake but when my brain registers what's going on, I see that it's just Juvia shaking me. I ask her what's wrong since she's here waking me up instead of Gray.

"It's Lucy. She woke me up, along with the others."

I chuckle sleepily, "So? What's she doing? And what does it have to do with me?"

"She's been tossing and turning all night and she's said 'Salamander' a handful of times so I figured I should come get you," she says with a worried face.

"Alright. Is anyone else still up?"

"Yeah, of course. They elected me to come get you since I'm the one that would have to move for you anyway."

I nod.

"Please hurry, Natsu. We all want to go back to sleep for a few more hours," Juvia yawns.

I sigh, "alright, I'll do my best."

I was successful in waking Lucy up and explaining to her that she woke everyone else up with whatever dream she was having. I told her that Juvia came to get me since she said my name, but I obviously didn't say what that name was. I'm glad I actually was in her dream, though, as crazy as it was even though it may not have been as 'Salamander'. And I'm okay with the fact that she doesn't know yet because she still has 'Salamander' somewhere in her heart, even though the one in her dream apparently is a creep. I am not a creepy guy.

Once Lucy understood what was going on, I left and I'm assuming the girls all went back to sleep. However, when I get back to the living room I see all of the guys now awake. I sigh, mumbling "this is great, just great," very sarcastically.

"What do _you_ guys want?"

"Easy, fire breath. Juvia woke us too while she was trying to get you up. We heard everything she said and just wanna know if everything's okay with Lucy," Gray says quietly.

"Yeah, Salamander. What he said. Is bunny girl alright?"

I glare at Gajeel for a moment before telling everyone "yeah. She's okay now. She just had a really weird dream, that involved magic, me and well... me. But she obviously doesn't know that yet."

They all look at me confused.

"Like I said before, it's weird...," I chuckle, "even for Lucy."

"As long as she's alright and there's nothing we need to be worried about, then I believe everything is going to be alright, and we can all go back to sleep now," Jellal elects.

We all gladly follow his suggestion and fall back to sleep for another few more hours.

* * *

A few hours later, I wake up again happy to see Juvia back in her spot next to me instead of Natsu. Don't get me wrong, I didn't mind finding Natsu next to me trying to wake me up, but it was just surprising and a little weird.

I think back to my dream I had earlier. It was strange. It was the most recent dream I can ever remember having and also the most vivid dream I've ever had. It all felt so real, like it was really happening.

Then, an idea popped into my head. I should write this down, that way I can remember it. So, I grab my laptop quietly, and head out to the kitchen to hopefully get a few minutes to myself before the rest of the house wakes up.

So, I do just that. I find an empty barstool in the kitchen, open up my laptop and start typing away. By the time I finish writing everything I can recall from the dream, I peer over the top of my laptop to see Natsu stroll up to the countertop and plop down in a stool next to me. I look him over quickly, first noticing he's just wearing a plain black t-shirt and lounge pants and missing his scarf, then seeing that his spiky, messy-styled hair is more messy than usual thanks to his bed-head. The last thing I notice is that as soon as he walked in the room, it almost immediately got ten degrees warmer.

"Whatcha doin', Luce?" he asks groggily.

"Typing up what I remember from my dream. Wanna see?," I offer.

He shrugs, "Sure, if you don't mind."

I smile, shrug, nod and then turn the laptop so he can read it.

A few minutes later, he looks up at me from my laptop screen, saying "Lucy, your brain goes to the weirdest places when you're asleep."

I open my eyes wide and nod a couple of times, "I agree, Natsu."

"That 'Salamander' guy you mentioned a couple of times sounds creepy like ya said, Luce."

"I KNOW! And the thing is, I have been talking to this guy who calls himself 'Salamander.' Well, I haven't been talking to him... more like messaging him. I really like him. He's sweet, funny, charming, he and I have a lot of things in common. He's almost too good to be true. I actually invited him to come to this, but he said he was busy. Anyway, I guess I'm just hoping that Salamander is not as creepy in real life as the one in my dream," I laugh awkwardly.

"Nah, I don't think he's _that_ creepy," Natsu says.

"Why do you think that?," I ask him curiously.

"Uhhh..." he looks away for a second, then says "because of the way your face lights up when you talk about him. It really _does_ sound like he's almost too good to be true."

"You make a good point there, Natsu." I scrunch up my face, turn my laptop towards me again, and open up the chat with Salamander.

"Uhhh, Luce?"

"Yeah, Natsu?"

"You're chewing on your lip... are you that hungry?"

I giggle, "No, doofus. I'm thinking. I chew on my lip when I think, even when I don't realize I'm doing it."

"Like you did just now?" Natsu says with a sly grin.

I glare at him for a few seconds, before I finish what I was doing before he interrupted me.

"I think I should ask him if he's a creep or not, and if he's even real," I chuckle.

Natsu laughs, "and how do you plan on doing that? Are you just gonna be like 'hey, are you a creep?'"

"Well, eventually I would get to that question," I say defensively. "I'm not gonna start off that way, that's for sure. Just a simple 'hey' for now until he answers."

"And how do you propose asking him if he's a real person? What do you think you're talking to, a robot?"

I open my mouth to defend myself once more, but pause because the rest of our friends have now woken up.

"We'll continue this conversation another time. In fact, I'll let you know how it goes after I finish chatting with him. Maybe tomorrow, if he answers me by tonight."

"Deal," Natsu says as he shakes my hand.

"I guess I should go tell Virgo to make us all breakfast. You wanna come, Natsu?"

"If there's food involved at some point, I'm coming," he says with a big toothy grin.

* * *

Lucy and I sit next to our friends around the big table in the kitchen once all of the food is prepared and in our plates. Lucy even asked Virgo to give me my own bottle of hot sauce. So now, whenever I'm over for a meal of any kind I don't even have to ask if she has any. I'm so happy!

"This was really fun, Lu! We should all get together like this more often!"

Lucy nods, with her cheeks full of food making her look like a chipmunk. I smile to myself as I continue to stuff my own face like a chipmunk.

Once everyone has finished eating, slowly, everyone says their goodbyes to Lucy and everyone else as they leave. Erza and Jellal are the first to leave, since Erza says she has work to do at home and Jellal has a job that he has to go to. I wish I knew what that job was, but he never tells us anything.

Shaved Ice Princess and his girlfriend are the next pair to leave. Why is everyone leaving in pairs? I don't get it. Anyway, they are shortly followed by Metal Freak and Levy. Now it's just Lucy and myself left. I'm in the kitchen getting all of my stuff together when I remember my copy of Scream of The Banshee is still in the player.

"Hey, Luce?!"

"Yeah?!" I hear her shout from the living room.

"Can you bring me the horror movie? It's my dad's and I'm sure he's gonna be looking for it. He loves scary movies."

"That horrid movie is _yours_? Ugh, I should have known! No wonder it didn't look familiar to me."

"Heheheh, sorry Luce. I shoulda told ya it was mine."

"Gee, ya think? I wouldn't have minded so much if you'd just told me in the first place."

"Sorry, Lucy."

"I swear I think I'm gonna have weird dreams and/or nightmares for the next week because of that movie, and if that's the case, I'm blaming you," Lucy says as she hands me the movie.

I had a lot of fun with Lucy and all of our other friends last night, but one thing keeps running through my mind. As I'm hugging Lucy goodbye, I can't help but think to myself, 'I really hope Lucy's not disappointed when she learns the truth about Salamander'.

* * *

Once Natsu leaves, I go back to my room with my laptop and pull up the chat I have going with Sal.

 ***.***

 _Starlia784_ : Hey, Sal!

 _Starlia784_ : How's your weekend going?

 ***.***

Oh, I really hope and pray that he's not a total creep like the one in my dream!


	18. Chapter 18

**Oh my gosh, guys! I am SO happy you like what I've done with this story so far! I was at work all day yesterday and while I was there, I saw this kid walk in with a Fairy Tail t-shirt and it made my day. So, because I'm in such a good mood this weekend, here's another chapter for y'all since I don't usually post on weekends. Enjoy!**

* * *

I get home from Lucy's house, drop off my things in my room, quickly say hi to Wendy and Mom, and then race to the bathroom to take a shower. I had a fun time with Luce and all of our other friends, but I need to clean myself up and get on my computer to see how Lucy's going to go about this interesting conversation. I go to pull everything off before I head in the shower and realize my scarf is not where I usually keep it. Oh, well. It's probably in my bag with all my other things. I'll go look later. Right now, I need to de-grunge myself.

Once I'm fully clean, I get dressed in a pair of black sweatpants and a red t-shirt. I go searching for my scarf but I can't seem to find it. The last place I had it was at Lucy's last night. Maybe I left it there?

* * *

I'm now helping Virgo clean the mess in my house from last night since I was partially responsible for making it. There's popcorn kernels, chips, and other crumbs all over the floor, as well as pillows and don't even get me started on helping her move those couches back. Those were bad enough to move with Natsu, I wonder if they'll be easier or harder to move back with Virgo.

Virgo is vacuuming the floor when she stops to pick something up.

"Princess, would you like me to dispose of this?," Virgo asks while holding up a white scaly-looking piece of fabric.

I gasp silently, "that's Natsu's scarf! I'll take that Virgo, I'm sure he'll be looking for it at some point."

"Oh, my apologies Miss Lucy, please feel free to punish me," Virgo bows.

"Uhhh, that won't be necessary, Virgo. Just help me move all of the furniture back," I laugh awkwardly while simultaneously trying to avoid her gaze.

"As you wish, Princess," she nods.

I take the scarf from Virgo, swiftly tying it around my neck, and she and I manage to put the living room back to the way it was before Natsu and I moved everything. I flop down on the couch with a big huff and take a break for a few minutes while Virgo goes to the laundry room to fold the clean clothes.

A few minutes later, I hear barking coming from my room and when I open the door, my white fluff ball Plue, tackles me with love. I rub him all over and then pick him up, walk in, grab my laptop with my free arm, and plop on the bed and drop Plue next to me, while at the same time, the scarf's ends fly up and hit me in the face one after the other and I just roll my eyes thinking 'so this is what Natsu deals with on a regular basis.'

I chuckle to myself and hum, "it is warm, though, and it smells like him." I bury my nose in the scarf, taking in a deep breath and smiling at the unusual, yet fitting scent of a campfire, while I feel my heart do a little flutter in my chest. That feeling just now makes me think back to the events of yesterday. Maybe I really _did_ like it when he kissed me. Maybe if he does it again, I'll actually kiss him back instead of just standing there like an idiot.

I open up my laptop and bring up my chat with Sal as I shake the bizarre thoughts from my head. 'Come on, Lucy,' I reason with myself. 'Do you _really_ want Natsu to kiss you again? He's one of your best friends!', I scoff. "If anything I wish Salamander would kiss me," I mumble to myself.

* * *

Once I turn my computer on, I quickly bring up the conversation I have going with Luce and see that she messaged me a little while ago.

 ***.***

 _ **One hour ago...**_

 _Starlia784_ : Hey, Sal!

 _Starlia784_ : How's your weekend going?

 ***.***

Oh, so this is how she's starting this conversation. Very well, then. I'll play along.

 ***.***

 _ **Now...**_

 _firebreath777_ : hey, Star!

 _firebreath777_ : my weekend's been busy so far

 _firebreath777_ : busy but fun :D

 _firebreath777_ : how bout yours?

 ***.***

And now, we wait.

* * *

After a few minutes of being on my laptop again, I see that Sal has messaged me. He says he's been busy... busy doing what? Didn't he say he was helping his family out or something like that?

 ***.***

 _Starlia784_ : My weekend was good

 _Starlia784_ : I had a lot of fun with my friends

 _Starlia784_ : I wish you could've come though

 _Starlia784_ : then it would REALLY be a lot of fun

 _firebreath777_ : aww

 _firebreath777_ : sorry Star

 _firebreath777_ : I wish I coulda made it

 _firebreath777_ : but I was there in spirit if that counts

 _Starlia784_ : yeah, nice try

 _Starlia784_ : but it's not the same as physically being there

 _Starlia784_ : hey, what were you doing yesterday anyway?

 _firebreath777_ : uhhh

 _firebreath777_ : my parents needed me to watch my little sister while they went out to a friend's house

 _Starlia784_ : Oh

 _Starlia784_ : well did you two have fun?

 _firebreath777_ : actually yeah

 _firebreath777_ : we had a blast :)

 ***.***

I really wish I had a younger sibling now. We would have so much fun together, and this house wouldn't feel so empty all the time.

 ***.***

 _firebreath777_ : So what's up?

 _Starlia784_ : Hey, Sal?

 _firebreath777_ : yeah?

* * *

 _Starlia784_ : Can I ask you something?

 ***.***

It begins: the interrogation...

 ***.***

 _ _firebreath777_ : _shoot

 _Starlia784_ : it's actually two things

 _Starlia784_ : and it may seem a little odd and random because it is but one of my best friends thought I should ask you anyway and I agree with him

 ***.***

I chuckle as I think to myself 'you have a smart best friend, there Luce, if I do say so myself.'

 ***.***

 _firebreath777_ : Uhhhh

 _firebreath777_ : ok?

 _Starlia784_ : I need conformation about something

 _firebreath777_ : what?

 _Starlia784_ : first

 _Starlia784_ : you're a real person

 _Starlia784_ : correct?

 _Starlia784_ : I mean, you're not a robot or anything like that...

 _Starlia784_ : right?

 ***.***

I can't help but laugh at the question, even though I'm the one who put the idea in her head in the first place. I still can't believe she asked me that!

 ***.***

 _firebreath777_ : Uhhh

 _firebreath777_ : I'm pretty sure I'm human

 _firebreath777_ : at least I was the last time I checked lol

 _Starlia784_ : lol well that's good to know

 _firebreath777_ : lol :P so what else did you wanna know?

 _Starlia784_ : you're not a creep, are ya?

 _firebreath777_ : lmao where the hell did you get that idea, Star?

 _Starlia784_ : it's kind of a long story...

 _Starlia784_ : it has to do with a dream I had last night

 _Starlia784_ : it's probably best if you don't know all of the details

 _Starlia784_ : but I will tell you this much

 _Starlia784_ : it was really weird and you were in it

 _Starlia784_ : or at least someone with the same name as you was in it

 _Starlia784_ : and he was such a creep!

 _firebreath777_ : say no more

 _firebreath777_ : don't worry

 _firebreath777_ : I believe you :)

 ***.***

Lucy really does get the strangest ideas in her head.

* * *

After confirming that Sal is neither a robot, nor a creep I sigh in relief as I subconsciously start to rub Plue's back.

"How bout we go for a walk, huh buddy?"

His ears perk up at the word walk and and he barks happily as he wags his tail. We both then jump off of my bed and head out for a little walk around town.

Plue and I walk side by side down the street passing familiar houses and saying hello to friendly neighbors. One of those neighbors happens to be a guy I go to school with, Loke. He has wild spiky orange hair that vaguely resembles a lion's mane and he always wears a pair of tinted sunglasses over his hazel eyes, even if it's not sunny out.

Both Plue and myself stop when we see him. Plue barks a 'hello' and I wave and smile at him. He walks over to us and we engage in some small talk.

"Hello, Lucy. How are you today?"

"I'm good, Loke. How are you?"

"I'm doing just fine. Hey, have you rethought my offer from the beginning of the school year?"

The 'offer' he is talking about is a dinner date, to which I politely declined. I said I wasn't looking to date anyone at that time, since I had just started my school year at a new school. It was a combination of that and also the fact that he has just about every other single attractive girl attached to him at the hip. That amount of flirtatiousness is _way_ too much for me to be a part of.

"Yes, but the answer is still the same as it was the first time you asked."

"Still not looking to date anyone, Lucy?"

"No, I actually think I've found someone. I really like him and I'm hoping the more I talk to him, the closer we'll become."

"That sounds great! I'm happy for you! Good luck!"

"Thanks, Loke. I hope you find your special someone in the sea of girls that seem to flock to you constantly."

He chuckles, "Yeah, I'm sure she's out there somewhere. Don't worry about me though, Lucy. I'm sure I'll survive." Then he says "hey, is that a new scarf? I've never seen it on you before."

I look down and smile. "Oh, this?" I grab one end of it and show Loke. "It's actually not mine, it's Natsu's. He left it at my house by mistake earlier in the day. It must have fallen off at some point since I never see him without it."

"Oh, so _he's_ your special someone?" At those words my heart starts to flutter again. Heart, why do you do this to me? Stop that!

"What? No! It's not like that. We don't have that kind of relationship."

"Oh, so you two _aren't_ together, then?"

I sigh frustrated, "No. He was at my house for a little sleepover with a bunch of our other friends and it must have fallen off of him while he was sleeping."

"Hmmm, alrighty then. If you say so, Lucy." He winks at me, and I roll my eyes but a few minutes later, I smile and wave goodbye while Plue barks at him. At home, a little while later, I see that Sal has messaged me again.

*.*

 _firebreath777_ : have you heard of this bar/restaurant called Fairy Tail?

*.*

Wait, where did _that_ come from? Fairy Tail? I can't say that I have... wait a minute... that's the name of that guild thingy from my dream last night. Oh, this is too weird.


	19. Chapter 19

**_*.*_**

 _firebreath777_ : have you heard of this bar/restaurant called Fairy Tail?

 _Starlia784_ : Uhhh...

 _Starlia784_ : does it count if I say I have in my dream?

 _Starlia784_ : it wasn't even a restaurant really

 _Starlia784_ : my dream involved magic so it was like a guild

 _Starlia784_ : it's where powerful wizards get jobs or hang out in their spare time

 _Starlia784_ : if you think it's weird, you won't be the first

 _Starlia784_ : my best friend, Natsu

 _Starlia784_ : he thought it was weird even for me because apparently

 _Starlia784_ : according to him everything I do, or think, or am, is weird

 ***.***

I do think that about you, Luce but it's one of the things I love about you. I wouldn't change it for the world.

 ***.***

 _firebreath777_ : so you're saying you dreamed that you were a powerful wizard?

 _firebreath777_ : I actually think that's kinda cool

 _Starlia784_ : wait

 _Starlia784_ : you do?

 _Starlia784_ : you don't think it's weird?

 _Starlia784_ : at all?

 _firebreath777_ : Nah

 _firebreath777_ : well maybe a little

 _Starlia784_ : See? You're just like him!

 ***.***

heheheh oh, Lucy... you have no idea.

.

.

.

Sorry... Ok, back to the conversation.

 ***.***

 _firebreath777_ : BUT I think it's definitely more cool than weird

 _Starlia784_ : you do?

 _firebreath777_ : of course!

 _firebreath777_ : and hey

 _firebreath777_ : you said your dream had to do with me, right?

 _Starlia784_ : well something like that

 _Starlia784_ : I'd like to think it was you rather than some creep lol

 _firebreath777_ : lol well is this 'creep' you encountered in your dream a powerful wizard too?

 _Starlia784_ : ya know, Idk

 _firebreath777_ : lol what?

 ***.***

She is such a weirdo.

 ***.***

 _Starlia784_ : It didn't look like it to me

 _firebreath777_ : what do you mean, Star?

 ***.***

* * *

I sigh loudly, thinking about how I'm going to explain this to him.

Do I really even want to tell him everything? Yeah, I do. I like him too much to keep silly things like this from him. Now how do I explain this the right way...

 ***.***

 _Starlia784_ : it's kinda hard to explain...

 _Starlia784_ : but it's like in my dream I felt like the creep that called himself 'salamander' wasn't the real one

 _Starlia784_ : there was something... off about him

 _firebreath777_ : how so?

 _Starlia784_ : like... the stories my dream self heard about him said he was supposedly a powerful fire wizard

 _Starlia784_ : but he was using old charm spells that hardly anyone used anymore so I'm not convinced

 _Starlia784_ : in my dream world or this world

 ***.***

* * *

Wow. No matter how many times I read about this dream of hers, I can't get over how wild her imagination can get. I mean, come on, me? A powerful fire wizard? That's just crazy talk.

 ***.***

 _firebreath777_ : You sure have one wild ass imagination there, Star!

 _Starlia784_ : lol thanks, Sal! I put it to good use, too :P

 _firebreath777_ : How so?

 _Starlia784_ : With my stories, of course!

 _Starlia784_ : Come on, Sal!

 _Starlia784_ : I told you this months ago

 _Starlia784_ : Ugh, I swear you're just like Natsu!

 _Starlia784_ : he forgets everything I tell him almost instantly lol

 ***.***

"Oi! I do not!"

At least not everything. I remember the important stuff. I just forgot that one little thing... momentarily.

"You don't what?," I hear a deep voice chuckle as my father walks by my bedroom door.

"Forget everything Lucy tells me almost instantly."

"Lucy? You mean that girl I heard you and Wendy talking about a while back?," he asks.

I groan embarrassed, "you heard that?"

He nods, "I have excellent hearing, you know. I hear EVERYTHING."

"You're just like mom 'cause she hears everything too," I mumble.

He laughs, "don't hate it. You know you and your sister have that talent too. So..."

He raises an eyebrow, "Lucy?"

I roll my eyes and sigh, "yes, Dad. That's the girl I was talking to Wendy about."

He chuckles, looking me up and down, then frowns. "Hey, son, where's your scarf? I rarely see you without it since I got it for you all those years ago."

"Oh," I look down at my bare neck. "I think I left it at Lucy's last night by mistake. I'm sure I'll have it back by Monday. Don't worry, Dad, I trust Luce. I know she wouldn't let anything happen to it.

* * *

*.*.*.*.*.*

 _Loke has been avoiding me a lot lately. I mean, I've heard around the guild that he's had a bad history with celestial wizards, but this is a little ridiculous. I first noticed he was avoiding me after I was told he found my keys. I wanted to thank him for doing that, but I couldn't find him anywhere. The next thing I know, Natsu, Gray, Erza and myself, along with Happy, officially become a team... even though we've been working together for a while now._

 _I asked them if they were sure they wanted someone like me on their team, and almost immediately afterwards, Natsu states "not someone_ like _you. It's gotta be exactly you, Lucy! It just wouldn't feel right if you weren't out there fighting by our side."_

 _To which Happy "Aye"'s in agreement._

 _I feel my cheeks redden slightly at the statement and feel the urge to smile and laugh after seeing Natsu's large, toothy grin. However, Loke was nowhere in sight._

 _The next time I noticed Loke's avoidance was when we were on our way to another job a little while later. We ran into him, Natsu and Gray started to talk to him and then I went to thank him for finding my keys and he cut me off and bolted in the other direction._

 _"What is that guy's problem?!" I ask frustrated._

 _"I don't know what you did but you really freak him out," Gray states._

 _"Yeah, he avoids you like the plague," Natsu adds._

 _Frustrated and now angered, I yell "it's not my fault he's CRAZY!"_

 _I just wish I knew what was up with him._

 _Once we finish the job we came to do, Gray assumes that we're just going to head right back home, but I come up with another idea._

 _"Hey, I have an idea. Since we finished our job early for once, why don't we head to the spa, take it easy and relax?"_

 _"Lucy..." Erza says in a way that terrifies Gray, Natsu and myself, "I think that's a wonderful idea."_

 _I sigh in relief while the boys still look absolutely blue with freight. A moment later they sigh in relief as well, and then we are off to the spa._

 _"I don't get it. Why is Loke so afraid of me?" I contemplate as I'm soaking in a hot spring.  
_

 _I think I'm alone until Erza speaks up and I turn around to see her bathing in her armor. I'm not quite sure that's how bathing works, Erza._

 _A little while later, everyone is relaxed in robes when Natsu suggests that we all have a pillow fight. It starts out fun and innocent until I get thrown out of the room, literally, with a pillow print on my forehead._

 _Instead of continuing in their pillow warfare, I decide to take a walk with Plue and Happy and get mistaken for a tourist and almost assaulted until, guess who rescues me, Loke: the guy who's been 'avoiding me like the plague' as Natsu put it._

 _It felt weird, like the two criminals' magic was paralyzing me. I couldn't move, at least not until Loke punched one of them in the face, kicked the other one across the face, and saved my silk-robed butt._

 _He asks me if I'm okay, all smooth like he would any other girl he's trying to pick up and then rushes to hide behind some stalks of bamboo and apologizes to me. Why? I don't know._

 _Anyway, I suggest we go grab something to eat together as a thank you for everything, including saving me and recovering my keys for me._

 _When we get into the restaurant, I sit at one end of the bar and assume he'll sit right next to me but instead he's all the way at the other end._

 _"Ya know... you don't have to sit so far away!" I say to Loke. I swear I don't bite, but Aquarius might if you piss her off as much as I have in all the years I've known her._ _He apologizes and I move over to sit a little closer to him._

 _Once I sit down and grab my drink, I turn to him and ask him if the rumors about his history with celestial wizards are true. He grunts at me, which I'm assuming is a yes and that annoys me a little bit._

 _"If you don't want to talk to me about it, I can respect that," I say as condensation drips down the side of my glass, "but I don't think it's fair for you to judge me just 'cause I am one."_

 _He apologizes, then just gives me some random breakup line. He says it came out the wrong way but I just think he spends way too much time with women._

 _I push that aside, get out of my bar stool, and happily thank him for saving me once more. It was nice to just sit down and have a normal conversation with him. As I start to walk away, he grabs my wrist telling me to wait, stands up and startles me with a hug while he tells me he doesn't have long to live. This worries me for a brief moment and I try to ask what he means before he starts to laugh and says that it's just one of the many pickup lines he uses. I get so aggravated that I slap him right across the face. Man, he can be a real jerk somedays. I can't believe I fell for it._

 _The next day, I find myself at the guild sitting at the bar, annoyed. Natsu and Gray are arguing about who won the pillow fight they had last night, when they decide to bring me into the conversation. I'm in no mood to talk to anyone, so I just glare at them and they get the message and walk away hunched over._

 _I then hear that there are a bunch of girls in the guild looking for Loke, but he's not around. They all say that he tried to break up with them the night before. Later, that night, I decide to refresh myself by taking a bath at Magnolia's one and only bath house. As I am leaving with my things, I see Loke come up to me out of the corner of my eye and we get to talking. We end up watching the night sky as we enjoy each other's company over a drink. I comment to Loke that I always wondered where the stars that fall from the sky end up._

 _"I kinda feel sorry for them," he states as he looks down at the ground, "think about it, once they fall from the sky they can never return to heaven."_

 _Then he turns to me and asks, "doesn't that seem sad?"_

 _I just ignore his question, thinking it's another one of his pick-up lines._

 _He says goodbye, walks away and I head to my apartment to do some celestial research because I think I have an odd feeling about Loke._

 _In my apartment with Happy at my side, I ask my celestial spirit Crux, the Southern Cross, to see if he can find out what celestial wizards Loke has had relations with in the past._

 _He mentions a celestial wizard named Karen Lilica who was a famous celestial wizard a few years back. Happy asks me what happened to her and I explain to him that she died on a job because she wouldn't listen to her master when he told her not to take it._

 _I ask Crux what their relationship was but he said he wasn't allowed to give me that information because of celestial laws._

 _He then returns to the spirit world and I am sitting there trying to figure this thing out._

 _I think back to what Loke told me when he said_ "I don't have long to live."

 _Then it hits me, when I remember what he just told me at the bath house._

"… once they fall from the sky they can never return to heaven. Doesn't that seem sad?"

 _"Hold on... a fallen star..."_

 _Is Loke what I think he is?_

 _"It can't be..."_

 _Loke can't be a celestial spirit._

 _*.*.*.*.*.*_

"Princess," Virgo says after she knocks on my door early in the morning.

"Yes, Virgo? What is it?," I ask as I sit up in my bed from my horizontal position thinking she's going to open the door.

She doesn't. Instead she just says in a quiet, monotone voice, "it's your father. He has returned home."


	20. Chapter 20

I let out a loud, exaggerated groan as I flop back downwards onto my bed.

"I really don't need this today," I mumble as I make myself presentable for my father, "especially after that bizarre dream about Loke. Ugh, why are all of these weird dreams happening now?"

I really don't get it. Oh, well. I'll still need to write it down later.

As I clear my head, I manage to quickly put on a dark blue skirt and a white and light blue blouse, rush to the bathroom to brush my hair and tie it up in a little side ponytail when I notice I still have Natsu's scarf wrapped around my neck. I didn't even notice it until now. Ehhh, I think I'll leave it. It goes surprisingly well with my outfit for the day, so I'll keep it on. I smile as I readjust the scarf and my ponytail and then head out of my bathroom and bedroom and towards my father's study where I know he'll be waiting for me.

 *****.***.***.*****

When I walk up to the door of my father's study a little while later, I knock and say, "it's Lucy. May I come in, father?"

"Yes you may, Lucy," he says in his deep voice.

I take a deep breath, turn the knob, open the door and silently walk in as my father sits at his desk, doing paperwork.

I bow my head and look at my feet, past the knot of Natsu's scarf until my father addresses seeing his scarf In my passive vision gives me comfort. I smile to myself until I hear my father.

"Lucy..."

I raise my head, look up, and meet my father's gaze. He looks me up and down and frowns.

"What on earth are you wearing?," he asks me baffled.

"This is the type of clothing I wear every day, father," I answer him calmly.

"That shirt is cut too low and that skirt is too short. It's all hideously revealing, and what is with that- that... _thing_ tied around your neck," he says as he points a finger in my direction.

"That's the worst part of the whole ensemble. It looks like you're trying to cover something up, and I don't like it. Go change out of that immediately and return when you are suitable. I am arranging a meeting between you and one of my associates' sons in a few hours and I want you dressed to impress, so you'd better look a hell of a lot better than that."

'No!' I wanted to say to him, 'this is my best friend's scarf and I'm not going to get rid of it. It's special to him since his father got it for him when he was a kid. He is one of the most important people in my life right now and when you say get rid of it, it makes it feel like you're telling me to get rid of my best friends like they mean nothing. This scarf, it brings me comfort and warmth- his warmth.'

I wanted to say all of that to him, but I know he's stubborn and wouldn't listen to me. He never does. I can't seem to get anything through his thick skull. So, instead,I say nothing to my father, turn around and head back to my room, trying not to let my tears fall the entire way there. Once I return to my room, I shut the door, lean up against it, collapse to the floor in a ball and start the waterworks.

Why? Why is he doing this to me? Does he even realize what he's doing?

I shouldn't have let him say that to me. I should've stood up for myself. But if I do stand up for myself, what would happen? I wouldn't want to stay here, so where would I go? Where would I live? Would I continue with school or go find a job instead? I don't know what to do right now.

* * *

I haven't heard from Lucy at all since we finished messaging yesterday. It's almost noon now, and nothing. This isn't like her. Usually, on Sundays she's the first to start the conversation since she wakes up before me. I hope nothing happened to her.

Wait a second, now I remember that her father was coming home this weekend. Maybe he came home today and that's why Luce's not getting back to me. Oh well, I guess I'll just talk to her whenever I see her and today, I'll do a little something creative.

I grab one of my guitars and start to randomly strum a few chords until I get my fingers all warmed up. Then, I grab my notebook with my songs in it and continue working on a song I've been writing for Lucy. I really hope she likes it.

 *****.***.***.*****

The next morning, I meet up with Lucy in our usual hang out spot in the middle of the 'dead hallway' or the one hall in the school without any classrooms or offices. It's on the second floor of the school and it cuts between the Social Studies/History hallway and the English hallway. It's also the hallway that is home to my locker as well as the popsicle's locker; his is on one end and mine is on the other.

None of our other friends are there yet so it's just Luce and myself. I see her sitting on the floor writing something, as usual, and decide to join her.

"Hey Lucy, how was the rest of your weekend?" I ask as I sit down and point my best toothy grin in her direction.

"Hi...," her voice cracks. She also doesn't look up from her notebook. Uh-oh. That can't be good.

"Uhh, you alright Luce?," I ask concerned.

She shakes her head no and sniffles, still writing a mile a minute.

"What's wrong, Lucy?," I ask now more worried.

She looks up at me for a brief moment and I notice that she does not look like her usual self. Her usually bright brown eyes are now dull, lifeless and somber. I see visible circles under those eyes, and they look puffy, like she'd been crying all night. In short, she looks awful.

"I don't wanna talk about it..." she mumbles as she looks back down to her notebook and scribbles some more.

"Well, if and when you do, just know that I'll always be here for you Luce," I promise her.

She takes a deep breath, and I can't help but wonder what happened that's making her so upset. For now, until I know what's wrong, all I can do is try and comfort her.

I wrap an arm around her to give her a side hug and she leans her head on my shoulder. I rest my head on top of hers gently, while I feel her tears slowly soak my shirt, and we stay like that until the bell rings. When our other friends eventually join us, they look at us and don't ask any questions. They can obviously see something is bothering Lucy and I mouth 'we'll talk later' to Erza, Gray and Gajeel. They all nod, understanding, and once the bell rings, Lucy reluctantly gets up with Erza's help, and we all head to class.

On the way to class, Luce stops for a minute and I wait for her, telling the rest of our friends to go on ahead to class. Lucy reaches into her bag and pulls out my scarf, which was neatly folded at the top of her bag.

"Here," she simply says while holding out her hand with the scarf in it.

"Hey, I've been looking for that," I say reaching out for the scarf.

"Yeah," her voice cracks, "I can imagine. Virgo found it after you left the other day while we were cleaning up the living room. She was going to get rid of it, but I stopped her because I know how much it means to you," she says sadly.

"Uhh, thanks Luce. I really appreciate that. It means a lot to me that you would do that."

"That's what friends are for, right?"

I look at her, take the scarf for a moment, and then decide to wrap and tie it around her neck instead of my own. Her eyes widen in shock for a moment. I see a little bit of life in them again. It's faint, but it's there.

"What's this for? I thought you wanted this back," she says bewildered.

"I did at first, but you look like you need it more than I do. This scarf has brought me a lot of comfort since my dad gave it to me when I was little. It was like my 'security blanket.' Whenever I was in an uncomfortable situation, I would tug at the scarf and that would calm me down. Maybe it can do the same for you, Luce."

She buries her nose in the scarf that's now wrapped around her neck and closes her eyes. I see her cheek bones lift up a teeny bit, in what I assume is a small smile. Yeah, I think I made the right choice.

"You can keep that for as long as you need it, Lucy. There's no rush. Oh, and I want to take you somewhere special after school. It'll be fun. You know, all I want is for you to be truly happy again."

* * *

I don't know why, but I have this sudden urge to kiss him. It could just be this huge mix of emotions I'm feeling.

"Thank you, Natsu," I finally manage to say. I don't know if he fully heard me. I think the scarf muffled my words a little bit, but he smiled his signature contagious grin and that makes my heart leap in my chest. He always finds a way to make me smile, even at times like this when I feel like absolute a quick, in the moment token of my appreciation, I remove the lower half of my face from his scarf and stand on my tiptoes, kissing his right cheek.

I still want to kiss him for real, though, but there are so many people around. And where did he want to take me? I guess I just have to wait until after school to find out...

But what would he say when I do? What would _he_ do? GAH! I DON'T KNOW!

Hmmm...I guess I can just wait until then and take in his comforting scent in the meantime.


	21. Chapter 21

Today, all of my classes dragged on. I didn't really pay too much attention to what my teachers were saying. I was too depressed to do anything remotely productive. I kinda just sat there and stared out the window the entire time.

None of my teachers said anything to me which was fine. I was in no mood for a lecture.

My friends all tried their best to help me cheer up even though they didn't know what was going on. Natsu is the only one so far who could really make me smile today. As I'm walking to my locker with everyone, I clutch his scarf that's tied around my neck with one hand, hide my face in the scarf and smile to myself, while my books are under my other arm.

"Natsu?"

He turns his head in my direction and raises an eyebrow, "yeah, Lucy?"

"You still wanna hang out later, right?"

"Of course, Luce. I wanted to take you somewhere special later. Why would I back down from that?", he questions.

"It's just- if we end up at my house, my father may be home... and I don't want you to feel uncomfortable or angry."

"Well, let's head to your house first, and if he's home, then we can just grab some things of yours, if you want, head to my place, drop them off and that way we don't have to even worry about him. Then, I wanted to take you to one of my favorite places to help cheer you up. Sound good, Luce?"

I nod, giving him a small smile over the scaly- looking scarf. Then I realize he did it again.

"Oh," I also realize, "he may not be happy that I'm not staying home, or that I brought a friend over."

"So? Screw him! Who gives a crap?! It looks like he really upset you, Lucy and I wish you would tell me what he did so I could make you feel better."

"Ya know what, I'll tell you when we get to your house. I don't wanna talk about him right now. But I promise I'll tell you when we get to your house, okay?"

He nods and smiles, which makes me smile again. That's three times now. I blame his face. It makes me want to laugh. He has such a contagious smile and I can't help it.

* * *

Lucy and I make our way to her house after saying goodbye to the rest of our friends.

The more I talk to her, the more she seems to act like herself again: smiling, laughing and just overall happy. I missed this side of her this morning. She has that light back in her eyes.

When we reach her large property, we stop for a moment and she looks up at me almost nervously.

I cock my head to the side, puzzled, wondering what's got her so anxious all of a sudden.

She opens her mouth to say something but nothing discernible comes out. All I hear is gibberish mumbling.

She closes her eyes, takes a deep breath, and then she speaks, and I'm able to understand her this time.

"Uhhhh, can I do something to you?" She asks.

"Well, that depends on what it is, Luce," I answer honestly.

"It's not gonna be anything bad, just close your eyes, okay?"

"Uhhhh... oookay?" I say still a little confused.

"If you try any funny business like Gray or Gajeel you're gonna get it," I threaten.

"Oh? And what is 'it'?" She asks, in disbelief.

"You're gonna get tickled. It works on Wendy every time she tries to fool me. That, and eating pickled plums in front of her for some weird reason. Those two things _always_ seem to torture her enough to make her behave."

"So, you're gonna tickle me?," she asks unamused.

"Uh-huh," I nod, smiling.

She rolls her eyes and sighs, "ugh, you don't even know if I'm ticklish, and if you did, you don't know where!"

"Not yet, but all girls I know are ticklish somewhere on their body. Just give me time and I'll be sure to figure it out," I grin.

"Just shut up, wipe that stupid grin off your face, and close your eyes!," she yells.

She lowers her voice to almost a whisper when she says, "I promise I won't do anything sketchy."

I nod and close my eyes while spreading my legs apart just a little bit to stabilize myself. I breathe in through my nose for a second before I feel warm air blowing right in front of my mouth. My lips twitch upwards on one side once I figure out what she's trying to do, and I lean forward just an inch to close the gap between us.

She pulls away for a brief moment, I open my eyes and realize she's about to say something, but stop her by resting my index finger gently over her soft, light pink lips.

* * *

He looks at me with the most intense, yet gentle gaze I have ever seen from him. His eyes are so dark in this moment that they almost look completely black and filled with some type of emotion I don't think I've really ever seen from him. It's intimidating, and maybe even a little frightening. I want to apologize for what I did. I think it may have given him the wrong idea. However, I don't get that chance.

* * *

In order to make sure I'm not dreaming, I kiss her again, this time a little more confident than the last time.

I reach one arm around her waist and quickly pull her body close while gently cupping the side of her face and neck with my other. As a result, she lets out a little surprised moan and that gets me all fired up.

She wraps her arms around my neck and entangles the fingers of one of her hands in my hair. The other hand she leaves right over the small scar on the side of my neck.

* * *

As soon as the gap was closed between us for the second time, it feels like fireworks are going off inside my head, a swarm of butterflies is floating around in my stomach, and my heart is about to leap out of my chest all at once.

One of my hands wanders to the back of his head and gets tangled in his already messy hair, while the other rests on the side of his neck. I notice the oddest things about him at the weirdest times, like how soft his hair really is compared to how it looks, and how good of a kisser he actually is. I didn't notice it the last time, mostly because I was too surprised to notice anything aside from the fact that he was kissing me in his bedroom, but now, I can see that he's _really_ good!

What I didn't notice until now was that I forgot to breathe. I pull away, and he and I start to pant like Plue briefly. Our eyes meet each other's and I assume both of our faces are beet red. I can feel my face burning and I can obviously see his since I still have his scarf on.

I chuckle to myself and the random thought that just came to my head, saying "you know who you remind me of, right now?"

He furrows his brow and asks, "who?"

"Tamaki from Ouran High School Host Club when Haruhi complements him after he finally realizes she's a girl."

"Oh, yeah," he chuckles, "I actually know exactly what you're talking about."

Then he shakes his head and asks "what was all of that for, Luce?"

My heart starts racing as he asks the question. I knew this was coming.

"I know this is gonna sound weird, but ever since this morning when you wrapped your scarf around _my_ neck instead of your own, I have had this really bad urge to kiss you. I don't know, I'm sorry I did it. I... I..." I run out of words to say because there's only one thought coming to my mind. That is, 'I loved it.'

He shakes his head, "Luce, there's no need to apologize for it, since I was also partially responsible. Anyway, it was probably just a result of overwhelming emotions from your weekend, which you still have to tell me about, by the way, so don't worry about it."

* * *

A few minutes after that little incident, Lucy and I walk into her house, she grabs her laptop, a textbook, and some other stuff and we head to my house to drop them off, even though her house is currently empty. Well, it's not completely empty. Virgo's there, along with other members of her father's staff but the big man himself is MIA for the moment which is a relief for me. Without a choice, we tell Virgo we're going back to my house to hang out and do work and stuff like that and she thanks us and then we walk in a comfortable silence to my house until Lucy asks me, "Hey, where did you want to take me, Natsu?"

"Oh, to Fairy Tail," I say with a wave of my hand.

"Wait, did you say Fairy Tail?," she stops walking and turns to me.

"Yeah, it's a really cool bar that an old friend of mine owns. Well, his grandfather owns it. His name is Laxus Dreyar and his grandfather is Makarov, except we all call him Gramps. I thought I could introduce you to them since you're the newest member of our friend group."

"Oh, sure! Sounds great!," Lucy smiles.

"Oh, and I'm sure Mira would be there too, so you can also meet her."

"Oh, yeah! You mentioned her at the movie night a couple of days ago. I was going to ask you about her but never got the chance to."

"Yeah! I used to be really good friends with her sister Lisanna, before she transferred overseas a few years ago."

Lucy smiles sadly, but doesn't say anything. Instead, the rest of the walk to my house is relatively silent.

* * *

While we're still walking to Natsu's house, my mind wanders like it always does, back to the most interesting parts of my day. Today, that part would be the kiss that happened not too long ago, and also to what he said about it. I hate to admit it but he's probably right about the whole thing. Even so, I did love it. There's no denying that. It filled me with so much joy and excitement. It's almost like the feeling I get whenever I get a new message from Sal. I loved it, I loved it, I love... him.


	22. Chapter 22

I hate to admit it but he's probably right about the whole thing. Even so, I did love it. There's no denying that. It filled me with so much joy and excitement. It's almost like the feeling I get whenever I get a new message from Sal. I loved it, I loved it, I love... him.

Wait, I... love him?

That can't be... he's just a friend- one of my best friends. Besides, the one person who truly has my heart is Sal. But if that's true, then why is it beating so fast again? I'm only thinking about Natsu, here! This shouldn't be happening.

* * *

The more I walk with Lucy after that last conversation, the more she seems to space out. Her answers are vague and monotone, almost like _she's_ a robot. However, we make it to my house shortly after, so she snaps out of her trance and back to reality pretty quickly, but she stops abruptly on her way up my front stoop. Her brow furrows and she starts chewing on her lip again. She's chewing so hard, I can almost smell the wood burning and see smoke coming out of her ears from all of that thinking she's doing. I chuckle silently to myself and smile.

Some days, I just really wish I knew what was going on in that gorgeous head of hers.

* * *

"Luce?"

I stop dead in my tracks and am pulled from my thoughts as soon as I hear his voice. My heart won't stop racing and I feel my palms start to sweat... I wonder if he even notices.

I look up at him, as he smiles down at me and says "Uhhh, are you gonna stand there all day, or are you gonna come in with me?"

I can't let him know about my feelings. I don't even know what to make of them, yet. And what am I supposed to do about Sal? I have feelings for him too. I have for a while now, much longer than Natsu anyway.

I shake my head of my thoughts, "oh, yeah. I'm coming, Natsu."

He must never know...

* * *

I have to find out what was bothering her so much this morning. I have a feeling it has to do with her father, but I want her to tell me just to be sure.

"Lucy, do you think maybe you can tell me what made you so upset this morning now that we're at my house?," I ask hopeful.

"Oh, yeah... sure," she says blandly. "I did promise you, didn't I?," she chuckles sadly as she shrugs and walks to my room ahead of me.

I follow her in, watching her as she places her laptop and books on Zeref's desk and then curls herself up in a ball in his chair while I lie down on my bed and wait for her to start talking.

Why do you pull at my heart strings like that, Luce? Why?

She takes in a shaky breath and starts "it's my father. He came home yesterday and summoned me to his study, through Virgo of course, and said some... things."

I knew it! I knew her father had something to do with her mood this morning.

"What kinda things, Lucy?," I ask inquisitively.

"He criticized my wardrobe choice for the day, which is nothing different from what I wear every other day of the year. He said my shirt was cut too low, and my skirt was cut too short, but the one thing he criticized the most and seemed to dislike the most was this," she says as she holds up the end of my scarf.

"My scarf?," I question as I tilt my head, puzzled.

She nods, biting her lip and avoiding my gaze.

"Luce, what did he say about it?"

"That he didn't like it..." she whispers.

"What did he say specifically?," I persist.

"He said it was the worst part of the outfit for the day," her voice cracks as tears start to form in her eyes.

"He said I looked like I was hiding something by wearing it and he didn't like that," she sniffles as a tear streams down her cheek.

* * *

The next thing I know, Natsu's standing right in front of me. When did he get to this side of the room?

He's reaching his arms out to me, resting one on the armrest of the chair I'm sitting in, and hovering the other in front of my face. Wait, what is he doing?

He wipes the stray tear that I was too upset to do anything about with his thumb and smiles at me.

"Come on, Lucy. Don't cry. You know I hate it when my girl friends cry."

Did he just say girlfriend? No, he probably didn't mean it like that. I just think I may be going a little crazy, here.

A moment later, he manages to scoop me up in his arms, carrying me bridal style to his bed. I rest my head against his chest, relaxing and taking in his warmth that he always seems to have. It's comforting, just like his scarf wrapped around my neck. I love it.

He sits down on the bed, placing me in his lap gently before he releases my legs and wraps both of his arms around me in a hug while resting his chin on the top of my head.

"You looked like you needed this, Luce," he mumbles into my hair with his arms still around me. I feel the weight of his head removed briefly from the top of mine before I feel a warm, gentle pressure on my forehead. Then the weight is back on the top of my head and I sit there, eyes closed, smiling to myself as I take in his familiar scent and think about what he just did.

He really is amazing...

* * *

Once Lucy is relaxed enough, I let her go and I offer to take her to Fairy Tail now but she wants to get some of her homework done first. I think that's a pretty good idea, so both of us get started on our homework. I'm only doing mine now because Lucy's here. I would most likely do it later and goof off right now if she wasn't sitting at the other desk behind me.

I turn my computer on and plug my headphones into it.

I tun my head to see what Lucy's doing and I see that she has our chat open on her laptop. I'm assuming she sent me a message, so as soon as I am logged into my computer, I put some music on and open the chat up on my end to take a look.

 ***.***

 ** _five minutes ago..._**

 _Starlia784_ : Today really sucked

 ***.***

I chuckle silently to myself.

'Yeah, I agree. Today was kind of a hard day for you, Lucy', I say to myself. I have to play innocent for now, though.

 ***.***

 _firebreath777_ : Oh yeah?

 _firebreath777_ : what happened?

 _Starlia784_ : It all kinda started yesterday when my father came home

 _Starlia784_ : he basically criticized what I was wearing, forced me to change into something else and _then_ forced me to meet the son of this business associate of his

 _Starlia784_ : I think he assumed I would like the guy since he's around my age and be okay with an arranged marriage in order to save his stupid business

 ***.***

She didn't tell me any of that. Why didn't she say any of that to me?

I look over to her, saddened by both the upsetting news and the fact that she didn't even tell me about it in person. I'm right here. I want to say something to her about it but I also don't.

I shake my head of the thoughts and get back to the conversation at hand.

 ***.***

 _firebreath777_ : I'm sorry to hear that, Star

 _firebreath777_ : I wish I could have been there for you

 _Starlia784_ : don't worry

 _Starlia784_ : you were there

 _Starlia784_ : in the back of my mind

 _Starlia784_ : as always

 _firebreath777_ : well that's good

 _Starlia784_ : yeah!

 _Starlia784_ : and my best friend Natsu also really helped me out

 _Starlia784_ : he was the only one out of all of our friends to make me smile or laugh

 _Starlia784_ : and he said he's taking me to Fairy Tail to help me feel even better

 _Starlia784_ : I don't know what I would do without him

 ***.***

I smile to myself at the thought. I guess I really _was_ the only one who was able to cheer her up today.

* * *

 ***.***

 _firebreath777_ : That Natsu guy sounds like a good friend

 ***.***

I look over my shoulder at Natsu who has his headphones on and is writing something down in a notebook. I smile to myself as I think 'yeah, he's pretty great.'

 ***.***

 _Starlia784_ : yeah

 _Starlia784_ : he really is

 _Starlia784_ : :)

 _Starlia784_ : OH!

 _firebreath777_ : ?

 _Starlia784_ : I'll be right back

 ***.***

I just remembered that I wanted to tell Natsu about my crazy dream about Loke the other night.

I turn to Natsu, "Hey, Natsu!"

He pulls off one of his headphones and looks over to me, "yeah, Luce?"

"I almost forgot to tell you about this really weird dream I had the other night. It actually happened the night before the whole disaster with my father."

"What was it about?," he asks me as he takes his headphones completely off and turns his entire body to give me his full attention.

"It was the same type of dream as the one about Salamander- like it took place in the same universe. Uhhh except it didn't involve him, it centered more around Loke. You know, our school's playboy."

"Oh, yeah. I know him," Natsu deadpans.

"Do you have something against him?," I ask worried.

"No, I just don't like that he has like four girlfriends constantly. It gets annoying whenever I go try to talk to him. Anyway, what went on in your dream? Were you under his spell or something?," Natsu chuckles briefly and I see a hint of a grin starting on his face.

"No! It wasn't like that!" I say defensively. I huff and calm myself down while Natsu's laughing at me.

"Ugh, boys," I say as I roll my eyes.

"ANYWAY," I attempt to move on. "It was really weird. Like he was avoiding me at all costs and he wouldn't even let me thank him for saving my keys. I thought he was avoiding me because I was a celestial wizard which ended up being part of it, but it was mostly because he was a celestial spirit."

Natsu looks at me like I have ten heads.

"Uhhh... Natsu?" I wave my hand in front of his face.

He blinks, "Sorry, Lucy. That was very..."

"Weird?" I try to finish his sentence.

"Interesting, Luce. I was gonna say interesting," he says.

Yeah, I don't believe him even for a second, but I'm not going to argue with him. Instead, I laugh, turn around and get back to my conversation with Sal.


	23. Chapter 23

I finish my homework shortly after telling Natsu and Sal about my weird Loke dream. At least when Sal told me what he thought about it, he was honest and thought it was weird, unlike Natsu. I swear I don't know what I'm gonna do with Natsu some days.

One day, I want to talk to him and only him because he seems to be the only person who knows how to make me smile and the next I come close to wanting to strangle him because of all of the stupid things he does on a regular basis.

With those thoughts in mind, I close my laptop on the desk I'm currently borrowing, stand up, stretch, and yawn in the process. Natsu, who is lying on his own bed petting his cat, says "you look tired, Luce. Why don'tcha lie down and relax or something before we head out."

I take his suggestion and go sit on the bed that I'm currently standing in front of, lying down shortly after and closing my eyes.

 ***.*.*.*.*.***

 _I'm sitting down on a bench with a new issue of Sorcerer Weekly open in my hands. I read an article that says Fairy Tail is causing trouble again. Some how they manage to destroy seven homes while taking out a demon gang on one of their jobs. They always manage to go a little overboard which makes me laugh._

 _I flip the page and see that one of the most beautiful mages of Fairy Tail, Mirajane is the centerfold model for this issue._

 _"She's so pretty," I think out loud. Then I wonder, "I wish I knew how to get to be a member. Do you have to apply or maybe interview with them? I don't know, but I am SO gonna join Fairy Tail someday. They're like the coolest guild EVER!," I laugh happily... until I hear a voice behind me._

 _"What was that? You want to join Fairy Tail?," I hear that familiar voice say. I realize it's Salamander as he pops out of a bush not too far away from me. What the hell was he doing in the bushes? That's really creepy._

 _"Salamander!," I say startled._

 _"I've been looking all over for you," he says. He then says he wanted to personally invite me to the party he's hosting on his yacht, tonight. I know what he's doing, however. He's trying to trick me again with one of his charms, and it won't work if I am aware of it._

 _"No matter, the offer still stands," he says._

 _"Well you can forget it," I say bluntly. "I wouldn't be caught dead at a party being thrown by a creep like you."  
_

 _"A creep, why would you call me that?," he whines._

 _He uses lame charm spells to make himself popular. That's just creepy! I try to explain this to him but he takes it a completely different way._

 _"I just wanted to feel like a celebrity at my own party, can you blame me?" he explains. Yes. Yes, I can._

 _"This just proves that even famous wizards can be big idiots," I say annoyed._

 _He then changes the subject randomly by asking me if I've heard of the Salamander from Fairy Tail._

 _"Well, yeah!," I shout excitedly. "You're telling me you're him? You're_ that _Salamander?," I ask in disbelief.  
_

 _"That's correct!" he replies instantly. "And if you want, I can probably put in a good word for you," he says.  
_

 _This just gets me so excited that I say "I would love to go to your party tonight!"_

 _As soon as he turns and waves as he floats away, I snap out of my trance and realize I've been pseudo-charmed. But, if it helps me get into Fairy Tail, I guess I can deal with the creep's crap for a little while longer._

* * *

As soon as Lucy was fully horizontal on Zeref's bed, she closed her eyes and was out for the count. She looks so cute when she sleeps. I cover her with the blanket, kiss her forehead gently, smile at her sleeping figure for a moment, and then walk back to my desk chair and surf the web until she decides to wake up.

While she's sleeping, Wendy comes home from school. It's almost five, so she must have been working on some kind of project after school. She yells "Natsu! I'm home!" and I physically cringe at the sound. I turn to see Lucy roll over and hear her mumble "salamander."

I roll my eyes as I think 'what's she dreaming about _this_ time?'

* * *

 _I'm on Salamander's yacht now, talking to him and also trying not to get too creeped out by what he's doing._

 _"It's Lucy, right? That's a lovely name."_

 _"Yeah, thanks!" I smile at him._

 _"I'd like to toast your beauty," he says after he finishes pouring us drinks._

 _He snaps and little droplets float into the air from the drink. Keep it together, Lucy._

 _"Now, open wide, Lucy... savor the taste of each drop as it enters your mouth."_

 _The first thought that comes to mind is "creepy!"_

 _Wait a second, the droplets... it's another charm spell!_

 _"What do you think you're doing?!" I ask accusingly._

 _"I know what you're up to. You're trying to use sleep magic!"_

 _He chuckles evily, "very impressive, my dear."_

 _I did want to get into Fairy Tail, since it is my favorite guild, but if he's trying to force me to date him in order to make that happen, then I won't do it._

 _He calls me "quite a handful" and the curtains around us are pulled back to reveal the other female guests of his 'party' are sleeping and being carried away by brute men._

 _"Wh-what's going on here?," I ask anxiously._

 _A wicked grin appears on his face as he tells me to behave since we're going to Bosco._

 _"We're going to Bosco?!," I ask riled. "You said you'd get me into Fairy Tail!," I shout feeling betrayed._

 _"Forget it, I just said that to get you here and become our slave," he said._

 _I reach for my keys to try and do something to help myself and the other girls but don't get the chance to use them because 'Salamander' snaps and knocks the keys out of my hand and into his own with his purple flames. What a jerk._

 _And after he examines them and explains to his goons that my keys are useless to them, he throws them into the ocean. He used magic to take advantage of others. I'm really starting to hate him._

 _"You're the worst wizard alive!," I scream at him with tears streaming down my cheeks._

 _The next thing I know, there's a crash on the boat a few feet ahead of me. Wood splinters are scattering as a dust cloud begins to clear. Through the dust cloud, I see the figure of that guy I met earlier today and treated to lunch. What was his name, again? Oh, right! Natsu!_

 _"Hey, I know you!" I say as a smile forms and the tears on my face seem to vanish._

 _However, my smile seems to vanish as soon as he starts gagging and mumbles "I knew this was a bad idea."_

 _My jaw drops as I say, "you are so lame!"_

 _Then, I see Happy, his blue cat, floating above us. Wait, floating? When did he get wings? Is this another type of magic? I try to ask him but he just grabs me with his tail and we fly off.  
_

 _He says he'll explain everything later and as we're flying away from the boat, I remember "wait, what about Natsu?"_

 _"I can't carry two people!" the cat explains to me as we're flying away._

 _The trip would have been a lot easier if 'Salamander' wasn't shooting explosive purple flames at us while we're flying away. Happy was able to dodge them all even though he couldn't see them. I am both terrified and impressed at the same time._

 _I'm still worried about Natsu and the other girls. I hope they're alright. However, Happy says we have other things to worry about. "My transformation's up," he says as his wings disappear and we both fall into the ocean._

 _When we drop in, I spot my gate keys shimmering not too far away and swim over to grab them. Then, both of us swim up to the surface and I open up Aquarius, the water bearer's gate._

 _"A fish!," Happy says as his mouth waters._

 _"Not for you!" I say as I shut his idea down immediately after it comes out of his mouth.  
_

 _I tell Aquarius to use her water magic and push the ship back into port. She 'tsk's me and gives me an annoyed glare._

 _"You're supposed to come from the spirit world to help, not to give me attitude!"_

 _Aquarius turns away and says "let's get something straight, the next time you so much as think about dropping my key, you're dead."_

 _"It won't happen again," Happy and I say frightened. Man, she's scary when she wants to be..._

 _With her magic, Aquarius creates a cyclone which sends a massive wave in the direction of the ship, successfully washing it to shore but also washing me away with it._

 _When we land on shore, I confront Aquarius about it and she says "oh, that was an accident. I wasn't aiming for the ship."_

 _Wait, she was aiming for_ me _? She ignores me and tells me that she's going on vacation with her boyfriend so I shouldn't call on her for a while._

 _She doesn't have to always rub it in._

 _I run up to the shipwreck and see Natsu standing up on top. I yell up to him, "Natsu!"_

* * *

I hear Lucy say my name once more. This time it was actually 'Natsu.' Now I really wanna know what she's dreaming about.

* * *

 _He looks angered and says "so you claim to be a member of Fairy Tail."_

 _I just keep quiet and watch the whole confrontation._

 _"So what's it to you?" Salamander asks. He then sends his men after Natsu._

 _"Let me get a good look at your face," Natsu says as he rips off his red coat._

 _"Watch out!" I try to warn him as the other men start running towards him._

 _"I wouldn't worry about him, he's fine," Happy says with a fish in his paws._

 _"We probably should've told you this sooner, but Natsu's a wizard too," Happy says. I drop my jaw in shock and start to blush as Natsu knocks out the three guys coming at him with one swing._

 _"My name is Natsu, I'm a Fairy Tail wizard, and I've never seen your face around the guild before."_

 _Oh, you have got to be kidding me._ He's _a Fairy Tail wizard?_ _I look up at him in shock, noticing the mark on his shoulder. That emblem is the_ _answer that I'm looking for._


	24. Chapter 24

_So, Natsu's the Fairy Tail wizard, and he just said that he's never seen him at the guild which means that 'Salamander' was lying about that. It actually turns out that 'Salamander's real name is Bora._

 _Natsu says he doesn't care who he is or what he's doing and that he only cares that he leaves the Fairy Tail Guild's name out of his business._

 _I see the ship go up in flames and I scream for Natsu. I'm about to run and see what I can do to help when Happy stops me._

 _Natsu complains that Bora isn't really a fire wizard since his flames taste horrible. I'm still in shock he was able to eat them._

 _"Fire magic doesn't work on Natsu," Happy says with a creepy look on his face._

 _"I've never seen anything like that," I say amazed._

 _"Now, I've got a fire in my belly," Natsu says as he pounds his fists together and does a 'fire dragon's roar' that singes all of the poser's men._

 _I shield myself from the debris with my arm and look over to see Bora floating above the mess as one of his goons states "hey, Bora, I swear I've seen this guy before- with the pink hair and the scaly looking, scarf. It's gotta be him. He's gotta be the real one."_

 _No way, Natsu is "Salamander?!"  
_

 ***.*.*.*.*.***

I open my eyes to the sound of an acoustic guitar from across the room.

"Sorry, Luce. Did I wake you?," Natsu asks me as he looks up from his notebook.

I sit up, shake my head 'no' and then stare at him as he's playing: his fingers gently strumming the strings, producing a relaxing sequence of chords. I can't believe the real Salamander in my dream turned out to be Natsu. Talk about a plot twist, huh. That just makes me more nervous about my Salamander, especially after what happened the other day.

If my dream is indeed correct, then Natsu is Salamander after all. Levy was right all along.

I make a mental note to write my dream down later so I remember it and turn my attention away from my thoughts and focus on listening to Natsu play.

* * *

I take a look at my song book and feel the need to play something, so I just start strumming. Before I know it, I started playing the beginning of the song I showed Lucy a few months ago. Now that it's finished, I can actually perform it for her. I take a look at my notebook and turn the page, thinking 'I could also do this one. I haven't shown her this one yet.'

I hear rustling from across the room which causes me to stop playing. Lucy just woke up, this is perfect.

"Sorry, Luce. Did I wake you?"

She shakes her head 'no' and watches me. I smile at her for a moment but I don't think she noticed. Before I even realize it, I've started playing the guitar again. This time, the new song.

"Today, I was inspired,  
by you and your desires.  
Your affections are what I  
didn't know I needed,  
more than water,  
more than food."

* * *

I smile to myself as I think, 'yeah, that's Natsu alright: always thinking with his stomach first.'

"The world just loves watching you  
break through these walls to get to me  
And I know that you're scared too  
After all that you've been through"

Is... is he talking about me?

"You'll never land if you don't fall  
Please just venture outside  
Open up your heart and fall  
It's so different this time."

It feels like he is. Either that or maybe he's talking to me... through his song.

* * *

"I see you now at a crossroads.  
What path will you walk down?  
Are you looking for me?  
I'm hoping to be found."

Well, Luce? Are you?

"I'm tired of going through this life all alone  
By the look in your eyes  
I'm guessing you are too."

* * *

His eyes look so... conflicted? sad? lost? full of longing? It's hard to tell.

"So what are you waiting for?  
This life can hold so much more"

Hmmmm... maybe it's a little bit of everything.

"You'll never land if you don't fall  
Please just venture outside"

I just can't help but think of everything I've ever shared with him.

"Open up your heart and fall  
It's so different this time"

All of my highs and lows- especially when it comes to my father.

"I am waiting, Right here for you  
Just look out for my loving smile  
Awaken feelings you never know  
The fear is all you really lose"

He closes his eyes.

"Now I have you  
And you have me"

I'm getting chills.

"I can see you falling from the stars."

Why is my heart beating so fast again?

"Brick by brick we'll  
Break the walls down."

I... I can't control it.

"I can see you falling  
Into my heart."

Why do I keep feeling this way?

* * *

"You'll never land if you don't fall,  
Please just venture outside,  
Open up your heart and fall,  
It's so different this time,"

"Well, I am waiting, Right here for you  
Just look out for my loving smile  
Awaken feelings you never knew…"

I look at Lucy again as I strum the last chord and see that she's smiling but her tears worry me.

"Luce, what's wrong?," I ask as she wipes her face.

"Did... did you write that for me?"

I nod, still a little worried.

"It's beautiful...," she whispers.

I smile, "just like you, Luce."

She smiles, blushes and buries her face in my scarf to try and hide it. She's always so cute when she does that.

I stand up and rest the neck of my guitar against my bed. As soon as the guitar is free from my hand, I feel arms wrapped around my waist and a warmth leaning against my back.

"Thank you, Natsu. This is one of the sweetest things anyone has ever done for me. I love it," Lucy hums into my backside.

I rest one of my hands on top of hers.

"You're welcome, Lucy."

I'd do anything for you, Luce.

"Hey, whatcha gonna call it?," Lucy asks me as I turn around and hug her back.

"Mmmm...," I think out loud, "Falling."

"Falling..." Lucy echoes, "I like it."

We soon fall into a comfortable silence once more.

* * *

The silence of the room is soon broken by an unexpected interruption- my stomach.

Natsu starts to laugh, as I hide my face in his scarf once more from embarrassment.

"It sounds like you're a little hungry there, Luce," Natsu says in between giggles.

I just nod, too embarrassed to speak.

Natsu takes my hand and we walk out of his house and down the street.

"Why don't we head over to Fairy Tail, then? I'm sure they can find a table for us somewhere. The place is huge now compared to what it was years ago before they renovated it."

"They renovated? Why'd they do that?"

"Some idiot," he caughs, "Gajeel," he caughs again, "was like a bull in a China shop and completely destroyed the place inside and out, so they had no choice."

"Wait, Gajeel... your cousin? He destroyed the place? Why on earth would he do that?"

Natsu shrugs, "I dunno, his buddies thought it'd be fun, I guess. They ended up doing most of the heavy lifting when it came to the renovations, though, so I think everyone's okay now. Oh, and that's when Levy met Gajeel."

"Okay, pause and reverse. How did Levy and Gajeel meet in the middle of that mess?"

Natsu laughs, "Gajeel and his old gang of friends accidentally injured Levy and two of her other friends Jet and Droy. The three of them ended up going to the hospital because their injuries were so bad. I'm guessing Gajeel felt really bad about the whole thing so he left his old friends, apologized to Levy and her other friends and it took some time, but once she accepted his apology, the rest is history."

"Well, that's one hell of a way to meet somebody..." I laugh awkwardly.

* * *

Lucy and I make it to the front of the Fairy Tail building in no time. I swing the large, wooden double doors with a grin and say "Laxus! Come out and fight me!"

* * *

I roll my eyes at Natsu's immediate desire to fight this 'Laxus' guy as soon as he walks in. I take my time however, observing people as they're ordering food and drinks or talking, laughing and having a good time. By the time I make it to where Natsu is at the bar, a beautiful young woman with long-flowing white hair is there already laughing and talking with him. However, she looks strangely familiar... wait, now I remember! She was the girl modeling in the centerfold of that magazine from my dream.

"Well hello, there," she giggles. "You must be Lucy. Natsu has told me a lot about you," the woman says.

I smile at her, "hello. Natsu also briefly mentioned you. You're Mirajane, right?"

She nods and giggles again, "that's me! But you can just call me Mira."

I smile at Mira and then point a thumb in Natsu's direction and ask "so what'd this one say about me?"

"Oh, nothing too much. Just that you were pretty, sweet, a little weird according to him, but overall he said very good things about you," Mira smiles.

I elbow Natsu for the 'weird' comment but the next time I look in Mira's direction, she's running off serving drinks to various tables across the restaurant. When she gets back she doubles over, exhausted.

"Geez, Mira. Don't you have anyone else working here besides you?," I ask worried.

She sighs, "Yeah, but it's just Kinana, the girl with the purple hair and the green dress. She and I are the only two. We are really short-handed, especially at this time of day."

Then, I get an idea. "Hey, if you need an extra hand, I could work here. I have a lot of spare time."

Mira giggles, "Well, you'd have to talk with Mr. Makarov about that. I'm sure he won't mind, though. We could sure use the help, especially during the summer. Hey, tell ya what. I'll go talk to Makarov and the next time you come by, you can meet him yourself and we'll get you all set up. Sound good, Lucy?" Mira asks me cheerfully.

I nod with a huge grin on my face and turn to talk to Natsu but he seemed to have vanished. I look at the booths across the restaurant and see he's sitting in one of them with two menus waiting for me. I roll my eyes at him as he salivates over the menu, then smile as I walk over to join him.

I turn to talk to Natsu but he seemed to have vanished. I look at the booths across the restaurant and see he's sitting in one of them with two menus waiting for me. I roll my eyes at him as he salivates over the menu, then smile as I walk over to join him.


	25. Chapter 25

While Mira and Lucy are talking, I think it'd be a good idea to get us a table. I'm getting hungry just smelling all the food in this place.

A few minutes after I get the table, while I'm looking over one of the menus, Lucy walks over with a smile on her face.

"What's up, Luce?," I smile back at her over my menu.

"Oh, nothing. Mira was just telling me that they're very shorthanded right now and she said very soon she would talk to Makarov."

"Hey, Gramps! I haven't seen him today. Haha! Maybe he's out of town this week."

"Yeah... anyway," Lucy continues, "Mira was saying that she could possibly convince him to let me work here over the summer."

"Oh, that sounds like fun! Just don't work too hard, Luce."

"I won't, don't worry," she smiles again, but it quickly shifts to a frown. "There's just one problem."

"What's wrong?," I look at her curiously.

"My father... I'm not sure if he'll be alright with me having a job that's not 'beneficial to the business' over the summer," Lucy says while making air quotes with her fingers.

"You know what? If your father gets in the way, I'll deal with him. I promise," I say with the biggest grin my face will allow.

* * *

His wide grin makes me smile again, just like it always does, "Thanks Natsu, but I'm not sure that's necessary just yet."

"Well, just lemme know when you need me," Natsu says as he pulls out his phone from his pocket.

"I don't know why we didn't do this sooner but here, hand me your phone," he says as he slides his phone across the table.

"Wha-why?," I ask puzzled.

"'cause, Luce. I'm gonna give you my number."

"Oh," I mouth silently while mentally slapping myself across the face. Then, I pull my phone out of my bag and open up the contacts. He puts his number in, then sticks his tongue out and takes a goofy selfie to complete the contact. I do the same in the phone he slid to me except I just smile. I'm not that big into goofy selfies. I always look weird.

Once we exchange phones again, he says, "Now you can text or call me whenever you need. I will always be here to talk to, Luce. It doesn't matter what time of day or night. Well, yeah it does. Until the end of school, it matters. Like you can text me but I'm probably not gonna answer and don't call me unless it's an emergency. Once the summer starts, it doesn't matter- you can do whatever you want whenever you want, 'kay Luce?"

"Wow, I didn't know you had any rules, Natsu...," I say surprised.

"Oh, they're not for me. They're for you," he says as he smiles at his phone before putting it back in his pocket.

"Oh, yeah?" I raise an eyebrow at him suspiciously,

"Sure they are..."

I shake my head at him before we both start laughing.

Shortly after we finish our food, he pays and then walks me home. We walk hand in hand the majority of the way with a smile on both of our faces even though my heart is racing a mile a minute. I mentally chuckle as I think 'it's almost like we're dating,' but that thought goes right out the window the moment I look in his direction.

'Come on, Lucy. This is Natsu, your best friend,' I keep reminding myself. I don't think my mind and heart are on the same page, though.

* * *

Lucy keeps acting weirder and weirder as the days pass. I do see her every day and we hang out whenever we get the chance but whenever I try to start up a real conversation with her, she just gives me vague answers. I noticed she hasn't been online lately and whenever I would text her, she wouldn't answer.

I don't know if it's because of the fact that school is almost over so she's worrying about her finals or if something else is bothering her.

What if it's something I did? I don't think I did anything to upset her, so I don't know why she's not answering me.

***.***.***.***

After school, I pull Lucy aside on our way home to try and get something more than just vague, one word answers out of her. She huffs at me, annoyed but I persist.

"Come on, Luce. I told you that you can come talk to me whenever something was bothering you. Please tell me what's wrong," I beg her.

She huffs again, then sighs as she rubs her temples, "fine...I'll tell you."

* * *

That weird fluttering feeling I get whenever I'm with Natsu keeps getting stronger and stronger. The more I think about him, the more that dream I had about him comes to mind. It's driving me crazy!

I sigh, "fine... I'll tell you."

He gives me a relieved look as I start explaining from the beginning.

"Okay, so you remember that weird dream about Salamander I told you about?," I ask as I look over at him.

He nods.

"And you remember the one I told you about Loke?"

He nods again.

"Where ya goin' with this, Luce?" he asks, impatiently.

"Well, I've had another one since then and this one is just as weird and random as those- maybe even a little more," I say while turning away from him for a moment.

"Oh? What makes you say that?," he asks as he raises one of his eyebrows the second I look back at him.

"It was another one that involved Salamander... and you. It got me thinking crazy thoughts and I noticed this a while ago, but I get the same feeling from messaging him as I do when I'm talking to you, like I am right now."

"What feeling is that?," he looks at me seriously.

"I... I can't really find the words to describe it," I say honestly.

I can't just tell him that I love him right now. I still have to see if what Levy said a while back is true or not. Oh! That reminds me, Levy!

"But back to what I was talking about before," I change the subject again.

"O...kay?" he hesitates.

I continue, "Levy told me a while ago, when I first mentioned Salamander to her, she said that he was you, or you were him. You are him?" I shake my head, "Uhh, you two are one in the same."

"And?" He asks.

I don't believe it, he… he doesn't even deny it. Maybe Levy really is right.

"And," I continue, "The day I fell asleep at your house, I dreamt that you two are the same person. So, I want to know... a-are you Salamander?"

* * *

Well, this is better than any scenario I had in my head. I never expected her to just ask me like this. I always thought I had to be the one to disappoint her when I broke the news to her.

I don't say anything to her. I don't even gesture or nod my head. I just look straight at her and try to keep my breathing steady.

"Natsu, be honest with me." she says quietly. "Are you Salamander?"

I don't want Lucy to hate me because of this, but she said to be honest with her so I don't really have any other option.

* * *

He sighs, "yeah, I am. I'm so sorry I didn't tell you, Luce."

"Don't call me that," I snap at him. He jumps.

"I-I'm sorry, Lucy. I didn't know what to do. I was so afraid that if I told you I was Salamander, you'd be disappointed," he says sadly.

"I'm not disappointed, I'm just... mad, upset, and confused."

He looks at me with sadness in his eyes, but I look away from him as swiftly as possible so I don't have to feel anything. I don't want to feel anything more than I already am. I tear the scarf away from my neck forcefully, and then throw it in his face.

"Lucy, wait!," Natsu screams at me as I walk away from him frustrated with myself and him and with two questions on my mind: why didn't he tell me, and when did he figure out who I was?


	26. Chapter 26

It's been about a month since Lucy has last talked to me. That day she stormed away from me was the last I've heard from her this past month. I tried to talk to her on any platform I could, whether it was at school, texting, or IT2U, but I got nothing. I really screwed up, but I don't know why she's so upset that she won't even really talk to me.

* * *

School is practically over, and summer is almost here. The days seem to get slower and slower the warmer it gets. I noticed something else that happened in these past few weeks, the warmer it gets outside, the colder I feel. I always get chills whenever I'm sitting in class. Maybe I'm getting sick or something.

I try to avoid the pink haired demon in my classes as much as possible but sometimes I catch him looking at me. I avert my gaze as soon as that happens. I'm still upset with him. I just don't know why he would trick me like that. He kept his act up for months, MONTHS!

Deep breaths Lucy.

I am still so frustrated with him. That's why I can't even look at him. If I even see a strand of spiky pink hair in my vision, it just aggravates me.

I went back to Fairy Tail once I got a call from Mira that said Makarov was back in town. I went to go ask him about maybe helping out over the summer and he said that he would be happy to have me on the Fairy Tail team.

I learned the ropes very quickly thanks to Mira. She explained everything to me and I got it within the first week of working here. The bar has its regulars: Cana, her father Guildarts, Macao, and Wakaba. I always see them either smoking a cigar or chugging a drink. Mira is always happy to serve them. I worry for Cana's liver, though. With the amount of beer she drinks, I'm surprised she doesn't have a secret stash of barrels just for herself.

I also see my friends stop in occasionally for a meal. I always serve their table, no matter who's there... or not. Even if _he's_ there, I still serve him. I just keep to minimal conversation and avoid eye contact at all costs. It stung at first, but after about a week the pain dulled and it's not so bad anymore.

* * *

I think I'll stop by Fairy Tail today to see if I could get some help with Lucy. I realized a while ago that I'm not going to win her back on my own anytime soon. So, today, I've come here to try and talk to the one man I feel the closest with, Guildarts. Maybe he has some advice on dealing with women for me.

I walk in and look around but don't see him in his usual seat at the bar, nor do I see Lucy serving tables. Huh, I guess Gramps gave her the day off. I just see Cana, Wakaba and Macao today. Hmmmm...maybe Cana knows where he is.

"Hey, Cana, do you know where Guidarts is?" I ask her as she's literally chugging a barrel of alcohol.

She lowers the barrel and says, "yeah, he's out of town for work. He may be gone for a while, why?"

I rub the back of my neck nervously, "Oh, no reason. I was just wondering if he could give me some girl advice, since he and I are so close."

She laughs, "why don't you go ask your _own_ dad for advice on girls instead of bothering mine? I'm sure both your father and Lucy would appreciate it."

"Oi-," I stop. "Ya know, I hadn't thought of that. Thanks Cana. I just have one question."

"How did I know you were asking about Lucy?," she asks my question for me.

"Yeah...," I say slowly.

"It's written all over your face whenever you look at her," Cana says in an obvious tone.

"What do you mean?," I ask curiously.

"You obviously care about her... maybe even _love_ her?," she asks.

I sigh, "yeah, I do, and she's mad at me."

Cana smiles, "go talk to your dad when you get home later. I'm sure he knows what you should do."

I nod and thank Cana, leaving the bar shortly afterwards.

"How am I gonna bring this up to dad?," I ask myself out loud as I'm walking home from Fairy Tail.

I guess I could just straight up ask him. He really hasn't given me a reason not to, other than embarrassing the hell outta me when he deems it appropriate. Alright, I've made up my mind, I'll do it. I'm going to ask him when he gets home from work later tonight.

* * *

 ***.*.*.*.*.***

 _I hum to myself as I lather my hair and body with shampoo and soap. I then sigh and tell myself how good it feels to shower in my own bathroom as I rinse my hair and body of all of the suds I previously created._

 _I freeze in the shower after I hear "the tub is pretty great," and reply with "yeah, it really is," without even thinking._

 _I turn to my tub and see Cana Alberona sitting in my bathtub naked and well..., bathing. She looks so down about something. Out of the blue, she asks me how my relationship with my father is these days. To which I reply, "it's okay... I guess."_

 _I decide to ask her why she's so upset, and all she really tells me that night is that she's seriously thinking about leaving the guild._

 _This is very surprising to me, because from what people have said, she was the first one from the new generation, meaning us younger wizards, that ever joined Fairy Tail._

 _The next day at the guild, everyone's going crazy with solo jobs. Natsu, Gray, Elfman, Bisca, Levy, Jet, Droy, Warren, Max, and Alzack are all trying to do as many solo jobs as possible and I have no idea why. Mira won't tell me anything, she just smiles and says with a giggle 'you'll see pretty soon' or 'just wait until tomorrow' which really doesn't help much._

 _The next day, Master Makarov announces that there will be an S-Class trial starting the week after this one on Tenrou Island, the most sacred ground of the entire guild. I look over at Cana and see that she's still very upset even after the master announces her name. She should be excited, she's participating in the S-Class trial! So then, why does she look so upset?_

 _Maybe this is the reason she was talking about quitting the other day._

 _After a long day at the guild, I walk home in between the falling snowflakes with Plue at my side. I tell him, "Plue, look! I didn't think it ever snowed in is so cool!"_

 _I pause to wait up for him and in my peripheral vision I see a lump on the ground that resembles a body. I turn and focus on it, realizing it's Cana who had a little too much to drink._

 _I drag her back to my apartment, give her a blanket and some hot tea to help her sober herself up. Afterwards, I gently ask for an explanation from her._

 ***.*.*.*.*.***

Whoa! That was such a weird dream. Another one about that other world. It's so strange how all of these dreams occur in the same universe. It's almost like they're connected somehow...

Anyway, I do want to remember this one because for some reason, that regular from the bar, Cana, was in it and apparently in this other universe, we're pretty good friends, so I'll write it down. Maybe this dream is telling me to try and become friends with her, but I really wish I knew why.

After writing the dream down, I check the clock on my laptop and realize it's only 4:02 AM. I roll my eyes and then close them, going back to sleep for a few more hours.

 ***.*.*.*.*.***

 _Cana sounds surprised when she asks me "you mean Mira hasn't already told you the reason why I get so crazy around this time of year?"_

 _I reply, "I tried asking but she wouldn't budge, and besides, I'd rather you tell me the reason you're acting this way yourself than hear it from another person."_

 _Cana then explains that she's been through the trial four times already and failed every time. This will be her fifth. I try to make her feel better by saying that there are plenty of great non S-Class wizards in the guild, but she just snaps at me and says that she doesn't want to be in the same category as those 'losers.' But doesn't that list of 'losers' also include me?_

 _Anyway, she says she_ really _wants to become an S-Class wizard. She wants to have enough courage and pride to face 'him,' whoever that is._

 _After Cana explains who 'he' is to me, I sit there shocked for a moment but then come back to my senses. I ask her to let me be her partner. I am determined to help her achieve S-Class now that I know the real reason behind it all- Guildarts is her father, unbeknownst to him, and she doesn't want him to see her as a disappointment_ _. She tried so many times to tell him but either got cut short by the master or was too scared to face him._

 _When the day finally came after the S-Class trial was officially cancelled, Cana and I were soaking our pain away in a nice herbal bath. It felt good after the stinging subsided._

 _After Cana and I had talked for a little while, she came to the conclusion that she should probably just face him even though she didn't quite make S-Class. He did come with us to Tenrou Island after all_ and _he saved her from that Grimoire Heart member, Bluenote._

 _So, we go after our bath to where Guildarts is fishing with Natsu. Guildarts says to come back later since they're in the middle of a 'spiritual journey.' I tell Guildarts that Cana has something very important she wants to tell him and drag Natsu away by the scarf, forcefully, so he doesn't get in the way of what Cana has to say to Guildarts. Him and Happy aren't too pleased._

 _I'm quietly observing and cheering Cana on in her conversation with Guildarts' from behind a bush and unfortunately, Natsu and Happy are still here frightfully staring back and forth between me and the two having the conversation._

 _Cana asks Guildarts if he knew the reason why she originally joined the guild was so she could find her father. He said that this was new information to him._

 _"Wait, so you're saying your old man was a member of Fairy Tail?," Guildarts asks surprised.  
_

 _"Yes," Cana replies. She grits her teeth and takes a deep breath in before she says "his name is Guildarts."_

 ** _*.*.*.*.*.*_**

I open my eyes again and yawn, checking the time on my phone. It's now 6:37 AM. I guess I can get up now, even though I don't really have to go anywhere now that school's over for the summer. Speaking of summer, why is it that no matter what messed up thing I dream of, _he's_ always in it, even if he's not the focus of it. He's always there.


	27. Chapter 27

After the little talk I have with Cana at Fairy Tail, I think it would be best to stay out of Lucy's way and wait until my dad gets home so I can ask him for help. As much as I hate being in this stupid situation with Lucy, I don't want to make her more upset with me than she already is.

When I finally get home, I take my shoes off, and then head to my bedroom after getting some food and taking care of... other business. I hear Happy 'meow' from under my bed and crouch down to pull him out from under there. I really wish I knew why he does that. It's only me, he doesn't have to be shy like that.

I cradle Happy in my arms as I climb onto my bed, rolling over onto my back as I flop down on the mattress. I close my eyes and let out a huge sigh as I relax, slowly stroking Happy's back and tail.

 ***.*.*.*.*.***

 _Me, Lucy, Wendy and the rest of our little group of friends, both old and new, also including Loke, are stuck deep in the catacombs of the capital of Fiore, otherwise known as the 'Abyss Palace'... whatever that means. As we're walking through, Wendy says she feels a breeze coming from the direction we're heading, so she assumes there's a way outta here. I'm really hopin' she's right._

 _A little while later, we spot a big set of double doors, which seem heavy, so I try to use a little bit of my fire magic to blast them open. However, I get blasted back by the doors instead as they open from the outside._

 _I roll around the floor of the empty room uncontrollably (much to my stomach's dismay), until I come to a halt right in front of the hooded figure that opened the doors.  
_

 _With a bead of sweat still dripping down the side of my face, I look up at the hooded figure_ _as I'm half kneeling and say, "uhhhh, who the hell are you?"_

 _"Hey, wait a second,..." I sniff the familiar scent. "This smells like..."_

 _"Natsu..." she whimpers. Everybody stands there stunned as she says my name._

 _"Please help me!," she sobs. As she cries, everyone else is baffled. Loke and Wendy are voicing their thoughts along with Mira and Yukino._

 _She removes the hood and confirms everyone's suspicions as the stare at her with wide eyes and open mouths._

 _"Lucy?!" I ask stunned._

 _"Please help. I'm begging you. If we don't do something soon, the whole kingdom is doomed," she says with tears streaming down her face._

 ***.*.*.*.*.***

My eyes pop open and I sit up with a gasp, startling Happy who was napping quietly on my chest.

"Sorry lil' buddy. Didn't mean to scare ya."

I blink a couple of times and shake my head thinking out loud, "that was one weird ass dream."

I chuckle to myself as I lie down again and resume stroking Happy's back, "Now I know how Lucy feels about her dreams sometimes. I must be spending too much time with her. Her weirdness is rubbing off on me."

Oh, Lucy...I wish you would talk to me again.

What am I gonna do? Dad, please come home soon!

* * *

Since I have the day off today and work usually keeps me distracted from my pink-haired problem, I decide to spend it lazily watching television instead of thinking about _him_. There's usually something good on at this time of day anyway.

"Princess, would you like me to make lunch?," Virgo asks from the kitchen.

"Sure, Virgo! Do you need any help?," I ask in return.

"No thank you, Miss Lucy. I'll call for you when it's ready," she replies.

"Okay!," I shout back over the noise from the TV.

* * *

 ***.*.*.*.*.***

 _The rescue team has finally found its way out of the 'Abyss Palace' and into the castle where the King and Princess of Fiore live. This should be a relief, but that's far from reality. Now we got both the kingdom's knights_ and _the Garou Knights from the Abyss Palace after us._

 _Oh, look. They found us. This is just_ fantastic! _Well, I guess this is what we get for breaking the law and trying to sneak Lucy and Yukino out of the castle dungeons. The worst part about this whole thing is that we're all split up and spread out in this long hallway. Some of us are fighting the Garou Knights (again) and the rest of us are fighting Fiore's forces. Can't we catch a break for once?_

 _The only one out of us that's not fighting is Future Lucy. She's up ahead with Happy and Carla trying to get outta here safely while Pantherlily is fighting the one Garou Knight that's standing in her way, Kama._

 _Pantherlily tells Carla and Happy to go find the rest of the guild and tell them what's happening and they attempt a takeoff but are stopped by the weird fisherman's 'gravity zone' spell. They're suspended in midair, unable to flap their wings and flee._

 _However, a few moments later, the gravity spell is stopped and all of the Kingdom's forces as well as the Garou Knights are swallowed up by what looks to be a giant shadow._

 _As the shadow finishes swallowing up the last of Fiore's forces, Future Lucy says, "I've never seen anything like that- that shadow. It didn't happen like this..."_

 _Shocked and surprised, I ask rhetorically "What the hell is goin' on here?"_

 _Just then, another person emerges from the giant shadow at the other end of the hall._

 _"Okay, now who the hell 're_ you? _," I ask them._

 _After a long and... very confusing string of words, the person says that it's been a long time since he's seen me and that he is actually Rogue from the future._

 _None of us really believe it. We're all too stunned to say anything that doesn't imply disbelief._

 _"So I'm not the only one who came from the future...," Future Lucy states.  
_

 _"Why?," Happy asks, "Why are you here?"_

 _After a long string of questions from the team all revolving around the same thing Happy asked, Rogue states that he came back to use the eclipse gate._

 _Lucy asks the question that's on all of our minds "The eclipse gate? Why?"_

 _"To save the future...," Rogue says vaguely. He then goes on to explain himself. He says that in his time, seven years in the future, Dragons rule the world and the human population is at not even ten percent of what it is today. He also says that our eclipse gate is much more powerful than his is in the future which is why he came back to use it as a weapon against the dragons that will eventually attack, lining up with Carla's vision._

 _"That sounds like a good enough reason to me. Let's open that gate!," I say all fired up._

 _"Seven years in my past, something happened...," Future Rogue says. Uh-oh. That doesn't sound good._

 _"Someone prevented Eclipse Two from happening," he continues._

 _"What? Why would they do that?," Lucy asks confused._

 _Rogue doesn't answer Lucy. Instead, he continues, "because of that one person's actions, ninety percent of the world's population was lost and the land was defenseless against the ten thousand dragons that came. Because that person closed the gate, ninety percent of humanity's population was lost. I am here to eliminate that person before they make the same mistake again."_

 _The exceeds Carla and Pantherlily try to reason with Rogue and ask him if_ he _thought about_ _reasoning with the person before resorting to such violence. He said that even if he did, they would still find a way to close the gate before it was time. He said that it's their fate. Their instincts will still convince them to close the gate, no matter what Rogue says to try and persuade them otherwise... whatever that all means. I don't really get fate._

 _"So, who's this person you're so desperate to get rid of?," I ask him._

 _He closes his eyes saying, "it's you... Lucy Heartfillia!", and he opens his eyes and launches a shadow right at Lucy._

 _"Lucy!," I shout back at her to try and get her to move. She doesn't, at least not right away. Instead she just watches the shadow coming towards her._

 _I try to stop it, but it's too fast for me to get a hold of. It's going to hit her if she doesn't do something.  
_

 _I look back at Lucy and see that Future Lucy has jumped in front of Lucy to take the blow instead. She falls to the floor and Lucy and Happy rush to her aid. I- I don't even know what to say. I am feeling so many different things right now: shock, anger, sadness, fear- all of them. As Lucy kneels down next to Future Lucy, she weakly says, "I didn't close the gate and I never would."_

 _Lucy asks her future self why she didn't save herself instead of Lucy. She said that in a way, she did save her self. She saved her past from death, by dying herself, so that she could have a better future._

 _"It's so weird," she says pained, "I never thought I would die in my own arms. It's actually kinda comforting in a way."_

 _"No! Don't talk like you're gonna die! You'll make it!," Lucy says upset._

 _Future Lucy tells us, "it's okay, don't cry. I never thought I would see any of you guys ever again, but I did one last time. I'm happy I did. That's all I needed to make up for everything I've been through in my life."_

 _"Lucy, no!," Happy protests, "You just gotta hang in there. We need you!"_

 _"I'm not the Lucy you know," she says weakly, "I'm from a different time- a different world. You don't have to cry over me," she says as she gently cups Happy's cheek. He holds on to her wrist with his paws as his face gets red and tears form in his eyes._

 _"You have your Lucy. She's right here next to you. She'll always be here with you guys, going on adventures and having a good time. You don't need to be sad," she continues as she starts to tear up herself._

 _"But I already am sad and so is everyone else!," Happy shouts, "I don't care if you're from this time or another time. Lucy is still Lucy. You're still our friend. We love you and we don't want to see you die! Of course we're sad!," Happy sobs into Future Lucy's hug.  
_

 _Future Lucy asks our Lucy if she could see her guild mark. Our Lucy complies and holds out her right hand, showing Future Lucy her guild mark who reaches out and touches it as she sobs. Our Lucy asks her where her mark is, and it doesn't look like she has one anymore. I suddenly remember the day Lucy got that guild mark. She was so excited and showed me the back of her hand immediately after she got it._

"Hey, Natsu! Look! I just got my official Fairy Tail guild mark on my hand!"

 _I blew it off like it was nothing special._

"That's great, Looney," I say bored.

"The name's Lucy, you moron!," she says annoyed.

 _Now that I really think about it... I realize it's very sad_ _seeing the back of her right hand so bare._

 _As these sad thoughts and memories run through my mind, Lucy says breathlessly, "I wish... I could've..." but before she could finish, she takes her last breath and passes away._

 _In my mind I hear her say "had more adventures... with everyone..."_

 ***.*.*.*.*.***


	28. Chapter 28

**Okay! So, I know it's been FOREVER since I last published a chapter, but I've been really busy this month and didn't get a chance to really publish anything these past couple of weeks. HOWEVER, I have a little bit of time now, so I shall give you guys a new chapter. I hope you guys like it!**

* * *

 ***.*.*.*.*.***

"Hey, Natsu! Look! I just got the official Fairy Tail guild mark on my hand!"

 _I blew it off like it was nothing special._

"That's great, Looney," I say bored.

"The name's Lucy, you moron!," she shouts annoyed.

 _Now that I really think about it... I realize it's very sad seeing the back of her right hand so bare._

 _As these sad thoughts and memories run through my mind, Lucy says breathlessly, "I wish... I could've..." but before she could finish, she takes her last breath and passes away._

 _In my mind I hear her say "had more adventures... with everyone..."_

 ***.*.*.*.*.***

I open my eyes and jump up from my bed once more, this time because I hear a car door slam.

Geez, how long was I out for?

I search for my phone to check the time and when I look at my pillow, I see wet marks all over the pillowcase.

What? What is this from? I didn't think I drooled _that_ much in my sleep.

I check my chin and mouth and feel my chin is wet but the area around my mouth is dry. My cheeks are wet as well...

"Am I... crying?," I ask myself.

Wow, I guess that dream really got to me. It felt so real, like it was actually happening to me... like I had actually lost Lucy.

I wipe my face dry and find my phone on the floor under my bed. The time says 3:45 PM. That was probably Mom who came home. It seems like she always has shorter days at the hospital during the summer. But that's only because she leaves so early in the morning so she can come home around this time and spend time with us. I think Wendy more-so than me because she's younger and likes to do a lot of the same things as Mom.

When I get downstairs, the front door opens and as expected, Mom walks in the door with her bag on her shoulder and a smile on her face. She asks me to help her get some things of hers out of her car, which of course, I do.

"Honey, are you okay?," she asks me after she hugs me hello, "you don't really seem like yourself today."

"Yeah, 'm fine..." I mumble as I walk past her to help.

"I just need to talk to Dad when he gets home later."

"Oh, well you don't have to wait too long," she smiles, "he should be home very soon. What do you need to talk to him about?"

I sigh, "girls..."

A look of understanding washes over her face and she gives me another hug after she puts her things away.

I head back up to my room, turn my computer on, and decide to watch some anime until Dad walks in.

***.***.***.***

"Son," my dad says as he knocks on my door, "your mom told me that you needed to talk to me about something, so are you free to talk right now?"

"Yeah," I say as I pause the episode of Naruto I was watching. The door slowly creaks open as my dad walks in. He closes it behind him, then walks over and sits on Zeref's bed.

"So, what do you need to talk to me about?"

"I... I need some advice, dad. I'm having a tough time with something and I don't know what to do next," I admit.

"Natsu, stop dancing around the truth and just tell me straight up. I've told you, you can tell me anything. I won't judge," he smiles sympathetically.

I take a deep breath in and out, "I messed up with Lucy... big time."

"Uh-oh," he chuckles softly, "what'd ya do this time, son?"

"I didn't tell her the whole truth about who I was online and I tried to make it so that she wouldn't find out but she did anyway and now she's mad at me for it."

"How mad is she?," he asks.

"She won't even acknowledge that I'm in the same room as her sometimes, let alone talk to me. I haven't had a real conversation with her in over a month. It really sucks, Dad," I tell him truthfully.

"Have you apologized to her?"

I sigh, "Yes, multiple times. I'm getting nowhere with it."

He hums in thought as he clasps his hands together and rests his chin on his knuckles.

"Well, since you already apologized to her," he starts, "I would suggest giving her time to cool down. Let her come to you when she's ready to forgive you."

"How do you know if she'll even forgive me, Dad?," I ask worried.

"If you two feel the same way about each other, which I'm sure you do from the way you talked about her last time, she'll forgive you," he smiles. He pats my knee and adds, "I'm sure of it," as he gets up and closes the door behind him on his way out, leaving me with my thoughts.

I will leave her be but I just want to tell her about that dream first. I think she should know.

* * *

After Virgo and I have lunch, she does some chores around the house and I hop on my laptop to find something to do. I'm so bored on the days that I don't have to go to Fairy Tail and work. And even then, it's not the same as it was before. The first time I was there, I had one of the best days of my life. Everybody there was smiling and I was laughing at Natsu.

Oh, Natsu... I think I'm starting to miss him...

I'm pulled from my thoughts by a 'ding.' I get a notification that says I have a new message on IT2U. Huh, I thought I changed my status from 'online' to 'invisible'. I didn't know you can still get messages like this. I roll my eyes as I think, 'I can only imagine who this is from...'

 ***.***

 _ **two minutes ago...**_

 _firebreath777_ : Lucy, I am so sorry

 _firebreath777_ : I think I understand how your dreams make you feel now

 _firebreath777_ : Please just hear me out

 ***.***

Yep, I knew it was him. Wait, what? What is he talking about?

 ***.***

 _firebreath777_ : I had a weird dream about you last night that made me do a lot of thinking

 ***.***

Oh, just get on with it already, Natsu!

 ***.***

 _firebreath777_ : I had a dream that you died

 ***.***

What is he talking about? I died in his dream?

 ***.***

 _firebreath777_ : Me, Wendy, Mira, Happy, Carla (Wendy's cat) and Pantherlily (Gajeel's cat) were on a rescue mission in this dream world

 _firebreath777_ : we were trying to break you and our other celestial wizard friend, Yukino out of jail

 _firebreath777_ : I don't really know the reason why you were arrested but it obviously wasn't right if we were trying to break you out

 _firebreath777_ : so anyway we are close to the end of this hallway way down underneath the capital city where we were at the time

 _firebreath777_ : it's called the abyss palace

 _firebreath777_ : Wendy was the one who said we were close to a way out since she felt a breeze coming from the direction we were heading

 _firebreath777_ : we come up to these huge double doors and I'm about to blast through them when they open from the outside

 _firebreath777_ : once the doors open a hooded figure comes through

 _firebreath777_ : this is gonna sound weird but I know who it is immediately based on how they smell

 _firebreath777_ : she's you

 _firebreath777_ : but she's different of course

 _firebreath777_ : she's from the future

 _firebreath777_ : she came back to beg us for help

 _firebreath777_ : she said our future was doomed if we didn't do something about eclipse

 ***.***

Oh, this is freaky. There's another me? So wait, there's two of me now in his dream?

 ***.***

 _firebreath777_ : so I woke up from that but then went back to sleep and the dream continued

 ***.***

Hold on, there's more?! Oh my God, this is one hell of a dream.

 ***.***

 _firebreath777_ : So now we're fighting both the garou knights who are from the abyss palace and the knights of the kingdom since we escaped from both the abyss palace and broke you out of jail

 _firebreath777_ : as we're fighting these people, they get swallowed up by this giant shadow

 _firebreath777_ : it leaves all of us alone though

 _firebreath777_ : which is weird

 _firebreath777_ : it turns out that it's this guy Rogue who I see around town sometimes

 _firebreath777_ : he's different though

 _firebreath777_ : he's from the future too

 _firebreath777_ : he said that he came back because someone from our time stopped the eclipse project from happening

 _firebreath777_ : and he came back to eliminate that person

 _firebreath777_ : you

 ***.***

What? Me? That's insane!

 ***.***

 _firebreath777_ : he shot a deadly shadow in your direction

 _firebreath777_ : it was too fast for me to stop

 _firebreath777_ : it slipped right through my hand

 _firebreath777_ : it was heading right for you

 _firebreath777_ : I yelled your name to try and get you to do something but you just stood there

 _firebreath777_ : when I looked back at you I see future Lucy jump in front of you and take the hit

 _firebreath777_ : she died shortly after

 _firebreath777_ : I felt so upset, angered, shocked, and afraid

 _firebreath777_ : I was afraid that I could possibly lose you too

 _firebreath777_ : Happy was crying, Wendy was crying, I think you were crying too and I was very close to crying

 _firebreath777_ : but I had to stay strong for the rest of the team

 _firebreath777_ : Happy was right about one thing though

 _firebreath777_ : even though she wasn't our Lucy we were still very sad to see her die right in front of us

 _firebreath777_ : you were holding her as she passed

 _firebreath777_ : with her last words to you, I remembered something strange

 _firebreath777_ : I remembered the day you got your guild mark on the back of your right hand

 _firebreath777_ : you came to show me and I blew it off like it wasn't important

 _firebreath777_ : but it was important to the future Lucy because she didn't have hers anymore

 _firebreath777_ : the last words she said to us were "I wish I could've had more adventures with everyone"

 ***.***

* * *

I said what I wanted to say to her. Now I will leave her be like Dad told me to.

I log out of the chat and go back to my anime. This should keep me occupied for the time being. It's such a long show after all.

* * *

Wow. That's just... wow. I don't even have any words for what I'm feeling right now. That's probably the saddest dream from that world I've ever heard or had.

I'm so torn right now. I want to say something to him about this dream- tell him that I'm here and he doesn't have to worry about anything like that happening to me but I'm still kind of upset with him.

Where would I even start anyway? I definitely think I need more time before I say anything to him.


	29. Chapter 29

***.*.*.*.*.***

 _I'm currently in a jail cell with Yukino, another celestial wizard. She used to be a member of the Sabertooth guild but their master kicked her out because she lost her match and basically sold her life to Kagura from Mermaid Heel. After that, she surprised me by joining the army as a temporary sergeant for the Cherry Blossom Holy Knight Squadron._

 _We first ran into each other underground when myself, Natsu, Gajeel, Wendy, Gray and the exceeds discovered the dragon graveyard and learned about how Acnologia came to be from the spirit of the dragon Zirconis. She was listening in on his story with Arcadios, the chief of the squadron. They tell us they have this great plan to stop Acnologia that makes the need to defeat Zeref even greater. Their plan involves the need for a celestial wizard which is why Yukino is now a member of the army._

 _Yukino and Arcadios take us inside Mercurius, the palace where the King lives. This is also the place where Arcadios mentions that he was the one who sent the troops after Wendy and Carla that Natsu beat the other day. He apologized and said he was under the orders of someone that told him I was their last hope as a celestial wizard. I think that was going a little too far and they agreed, especially when they had Yukino on their side._

 _They take us to this giant door in the castle which Arcadios calls Eclipse. As we're standing there listening to what Arcadios and Yukino have to say, royal soldiers quickly surround us. They say Arcadios commited a crime by letting 'outsiders' know secrets of the government. He tried to defend himself but was getting nowhere. Instead, they arrested him and us celestial wizards as 'accessories of his crime' and told the rest of the army to dispose of Natsu and the others._

 _Natsu tried to fight back, but his magic was completely drained by Eclipse the moment he tried to use it to fight back. I hope he's okay..._

 _"I never wanted you to get involved in this...I'm so sorry," Yukino says to me as we sit in this giant jail cell together._

 _She says she always has bad luck wherever she goes. I try to keep a positive attitude and say that she doesn't really have anything to feel sorry for since it's not her fault. I try to get her to focus on figuring ourselves a way outta here and getting our keys back._

 _Yukino keeps apologizing to me and blaming herself for our situation but I tell her that it's not her fault at all._

 _"It seems like we got ourselves caught up in the middle of a power struggle in the government," I say as I'm looking for a way out of this cell. All they're really fighting over is whether or not the 'Eclipse Project' should be happening or not._

 _Yukino says they should go forward with it, but I don't really know enough about it to make an opinion for myself on the subject. She then explains to me that she used to have an older sister named Sorano but she was taken away from her family by people who followed Zeref when they were kids. She says she wants to be reunited with Sorano by making it so Zeref never gains his immortality those 400 years ago and never gains all of these followers._

 _I don't even know if this is possible: changing the past. How can it be guaranteed that the future turns out the way you want it to if you_ do _change the past?_

 _Some time has passed and I'm having no luck in finding a way out of this cell. There are no guards nearby to ambush and nobody coming for us. I suggest to Yukino that we get some rest, but she is still upset and is blaming herself for what happened to us._

 _"You can get some sleep if you want," she says half-heartedly. I sigh sadly, but do as she says._

 _A little while later, I start to hear a familiar, husky voice whisper, "Lucy!"_

 _I drowsily open my eyes but think I'm hearing things. I close my eyes again and I hear that same voice whisper, "Lucy, wake up!"_

 _I open my eyes once more and gasp as I lift my head to see Natsu, Wendy and Mira on the other side of the bars. I rush over in excitement, kneel down and say "Natsu! Wendy! Mira! You're here! Boy, am I glad to see you guys! Ca-," I'm about to ask them if they can let us out but I'm cut off by a hand._

 _"Shhhhh!," Natsu shushes me as he covers my mouth with his large hand._

 _"Sorry..." I apologize into his palm. He releases me and I walk back to the bed and see Happy on top and the rest of the other exceeds around it on the floor. Carla is surprised I'm in such high spirits for our current circumstances but I told her that I never gave up hope.  
_

 _"How were you guys able to get past the guards?," Yukino asks Natsu curiously as he's testing the bars.  
_

 _"Don't worry about it and just stand back," he says as he grabs a hold of the two bars in the center, successfully melting them with his magic enough so he can rip them apart with ease._

 _Mira hands me a fresh set of clothing and Wendy offers Yukino some food they brought while I change behind my single bedsheet with Mira and Yukino's help._

 _As I'm putting on my last boot and complaining about the stupid people who captured us and took our keys, the floor drops out from underneath all of us as we fall down to who the hell knows where._

 _Luckily, Natsu was the first to land so he broke our fall. When we all picked ourselves up off of him, we heard a voice say "welcome to the Abyss Palace, your permanent holding cell."_

 _"Who's that?," I ask the mysterious feminine voice._

 _I don't get an answer. Instead, the voice says, "you fell right into our trap... did you enjoy the ride?"_

 _We immediately protest and tell the voice no. Well, Happy does anyway._

 _"Look around you. This is the capital of death, the Abyss Palace: your last taste of freedom before death. There is only one way in and no way out. No inmate has escaped and lived to tell the tale."_

 _Then, a hologram of a young woman with long, green hair and what appears to be a crown atop her head says, "I doubt you'll do any better, you rebels. You can rot down there for all I care._ _"_

 _"Who the hell're you?!" Natsu asks, shaking his fist in the air visibly annoyed. He's not the only one..._

 _"_ I _am Hisui E. Fiore, Princess of the kingdom of Fiore."_

 _"If you're the princess, then_ you're _the one who trapped us down here?!," Mira asks._

 _"Why?!" I add in_ _._

 _Of course, the fireball of the bunch wants to fight her as soon as possible and demands we be shown an exit before the Princess's hologram disappears._

 _"Didn't you hear what she said, hot-head, there's no exit in this place!" Lily yells at Natsu. It's funny, he sounded just like Gray for a second there. They must be rubbing off on him too much._

 _"What do we do? We can't be stuck down here!" Wendy wails._

 **Some time later...**

 _I feel like we've been walking forever. "Natsu! It feels like we're going around in a giant circle. My feet are killing me!"_

 _"Can you smell anything?," Mira asks him._

 _"Ehh, not really. Nobody's been down here in such a long time, so it's hard to pick up on any scents," he says after sniffing the air around us._

 _While we're walking through, Lily makes a comment that he gets the impression that this place isn't a last taste of freedom. Instead it's more like a last taste of despair for the people that died down here and now litter the place with their skeletons, but Natsu is convinced otherwise and thinks Princess Hisui is a liar._

 _"She said there was no way out of here but I'm not buyin' it," he says with a confident smirk. "We're gonna prove she's been lying to us, 'cause we're gettin' outta here!"_

 _Natsu's positive attitude inspires me, Wendy, the exceeds, and Mira but Yukino still isn't convinced. She's surprised we're all acting so optimistic despite the current situation but Mira smiles and assures her, "we've all been in worse situations than this. We just have to stay positive and things will all work out in the end."_

 _I think she is absolutely right. "Yeah! When we work together, there's nothing our team can't accomplish. We just have to stay positive!"_

 ***.*.*.*.*.***

I yawn, "Stay positive?" I chuckle, "yeah, right. Sorry dream self, that's not gonna work this time."

I get out of bed to go to the restroom. Then, I come back and check the clock, noticing that it's 9:10 AM. I guess it's better than the other day where I was out of bed at like 6:30 AM.

I grab my laptop, plop back onto my unmade bed and swiftly jot down what I remember from the dream. Of course, the one person I'm not talking to right now is in it... AGAIN. Why can't I get him out of my head for once?! He's everywhere! He's in my dreams, at work when I'm there. Hell, he's probably there when I'm _not_ working.

Ugh, that reminds me. I have to go to work later today. I am SO not looking forward to this. What if _he's_ there? No, correction; what if he's there my entire shift?!

I don't think I can torture myself much longer. Especially now that I really don't have anyone to talk to about this weird stuff anymore.

I sigh as I look through my wardrobe and find a green, striped blouse and a pair of beige khaki shorts. I go back to the bathroom, run myself a bath, undress, and then step in, letting my worries just melt away as I melt into the warmth of the water.

I lather myself with soap and massage shampoo into my hair. Then, I rinse my head under the water and come up to lean my head against the edge of the tub behind me. I close my eyes and let my mind wander.


	30. Chapter 30

I sigh as I look through my wardrobe and find a green, striped blouse and a pair of beige khaki shorts. I go back to the bathroom, run myself a bath, undress, and then step in, letting my worries just melt away as I melt into the warmth of the water.

I lather myself with soap and massage shampoo into my hair. Then, I rinse my head under the water and come up to lean my head against the edge of the tub behind me. I close my eyes and let my mind wander.

*.*.*.*.*.*

 _I'm still stuck in the abyss palace looking for a way out with Yukino, Natsu, Wendy, Mira, and the exceeds Happy, Carla and Lily. Of course, Happy's_  
brilliant _idea of a fashion show by Mira and myself is getting us nowhere. Who would be watching us down here anyway?_

 _As we're walking along after said fashion show, I feel something odd that makes me shiver and the hair on the back of my neck stands up. A short while later, while we're still wandering the caves looking for a way out, the whole place shakes. It feels so similar to an earthquake. Natsu and Wendy both sense a change in the direction of the air flow. Natsu even picks up a familiar scent coming from that way, so we follow their noses which lead to a narrow but long crack in one of the walls that we didn't notice until now._

 _"Guys! There's a spot up ahead that looks big enough for us to squeeze through. The quake must have loosened the rock enough for a path to form," Carla observes._

 _"But, this rock looks to be melted. There are no jagged edges," Lily states, as we start squeezing our way through._

 _Wendy, Natsu, and the exceeds manage to squeeze through with ease, while us... curvaceous members of the group have an obviously tougher time. I ask Natsu to pull me out since I'm a little stuck and he basically calls me fat before helping me get myself unstuck._

 _He pulls me out, but the momentum from his last tug knocks us both down with me landing on top of him in a very suggestive position. Yukino pulls a George Takei by saying, "Oh, my!," while I'm pretty much sitting on Natsu's face, feeling my own face burn with embarrassment._

 _"I-It's not what it looks like, I swear!," I insist as Yukino's own face reddens with embarrassment._

*.*.*.*.*.*

I chuckle to myself as I think out loud, "Man, my mind goes to some weird places when I just let it wander."

I sigh as I ask, "Oh well, may as well see the rest of this weird scenario through the end, right?," in the comfort of my own bathroom.

*.*.*.*.*.*

 _After we found and nursed Arcadios back to health, he joined us on our adventure of getting the hell outta here. However, after Wendy healed him a little bit, we ran into some trouble along the way, also known as the Garou Knights: a secretive, independent unit from the royal guards and army used especially for mercilessly executing criminals._

 _Since Yukino and I don't have our keys at the moment, Natsu suggested that we sit this one out and he, Mira, Wendy and Lily fight these so called 'knights.' I am not objecting to that decision and actually, Natsu and Wendy seem to be doing pretty good._

 _A little while later, however, they seem to be struggling. Well, actually they're getting nowhere. In fact, it seems like the Garou Knights have the upper hand. Natsu is down, and Wendy is trapped in a blood-sucking mutant flower that's slowly digesting her. Then, shortly after Mira rescues Wendy, one of the Garou Knights comes after the two most defenseless people on the team: us. However, Lily comes to our rescue for the time being, but once he leaves, we all get seemingly paralyzed and sucked up by one of the mutant only we had our keys. Then we could do something to help get out of here!_

 _Wendy is a quick thinker and casts a spell on us that nullifies the paralysis and gives Natsu the ability to use his magic to stop us from getting eaten. Now, we have another problem thanks to him... we're all separated and I still don't have my keys back. The only ones that managed to stay together were myself, Yukino, Arcadios, Carla and Happy. It's not exactly the most powerful group to get stuck together._

 _To make matters even worse, the stupid fish obsessed wizard from the Garou Knights is there with us and he's got Happy on his line. Happy thinks we can beat him without magic and personally, he doesn't look that tough so I actually agree with him. I think we can take him on without our keys. Yukino and myself are tough. We can handle a little hand-to-hand combat._

 _Arcadios disagrees however and tells us to run instead. He says that this guy, Uosuke, is very powerful. Arcadios says his execution magic is so powerful that not even the bones of his victims get left behind._

 _Now how exactly are we supposed to fight him without our keys? I really wish I didn't get my keys taken away... stupid government._

 _Uosuke casts this terrain spell and the next thing I know, Yukino and I are hanging on to the edge of a cliff for dear life, Carla and Happy are stuck under another one of the stupid fisherman's terrain spells, Arcadios is still recovering, and the floor is lava... literally.  
_

 _Arcadios does one of the craziest things I've ever seen done. He walks through the lava, sacrificing himself in order to save us. He manages to slowly make his way over to us and give us a boost up so we can safely crawl back onto the rock we were hanging from. From our perspective, we're losing him... fast. According to him, our lives are more important than his which is insane because all of our lives matter, here.  
_

 _Arcadios is now completely under the lava and Yukino is calling herself bad luck once again and saying that I should keep my distance from her but I disagree. It's not her fault._

 _Surprisingly, Arcadios is saved appropriately in the nick of time by one of my celestial spirits, Horologium, the clock constellation. My first thought when I heard him speak was "how the heck did you even get down here?!"_

 _Then, to my right and Yukino's rear, I hear the familiar voice of the king of the zodiac himself, Loke._

 _He surprises us all and thankfully, is the one who saved our gate keys. I don't know what I would've done without Loke. He hands me back my belt with a pouch that holds my ring of keys and also hands Yukino back hers who gratefully accepts them._

 _Now that we have all our keys back, we are definitely ready to take on this hick._

 _Loke said it best, "The twelve zodiac keys are gathered as one. It's time to take him down."_

 _And we do. Loke, Libra, and Virgo all work their hardest to keep the wounded safe and hidden from Uosuke's wind tunnel._

*.*.*.*.*.*

I can't help but think back to what Natsu said in his messages earlier. I know he said something about Wendy, Mira, the three cats, another girl named Yukino and Loke and Eclipse and the Garou Knights but he also mentioned there being another me too. This is getting kinda freaky.

I hop out of the tub, now that I'm pretty much a wrinkled prune, drain said tub, wrap a towel around my body and go get something to wear to work. I really don't want to see Natsu today. Please, God... he's the one person I _really_ don't want to see.

* * *

I walk through the double doors of my favorite place in town, Fairy Tail still hoping that Lucy will have a real conversation with me again. My summer is really starting to suck because of the stupid thing I did. I really hate myself for it. I can't really keep my mind off of it either because since school started, I've been lazy and bored. Maybe I should get myself a job. But where would I even get one?

* * *

Oh great, he's here again... with a bunch of our friends.

I sigh heavily as I approach their table with my notepad and pen in hand: not even looking up as I ask "what can I get you guys?"

"Three waters, a strawberry cake, iced coffee, a lemonade and a smile... please?" _he_ begs.

I really want to but I'm still hurt. I give him a half smile anyway, just to be nice in front of Erza, Jellal, Gray and Juvia.

"I'll be right back with your drinks guys. Oh, and your cake Erza," I smile at her sincerely.

As I walk away from their table, I hear Natsu grumble, "she doesn't smile at _me_ like that anymore…"

I can only imagine what Erza will do to scold him this time. She'd probably karate chop his head and give him a huge lump right on top. Now that, I'd LOVE to see.

I'm in a better mood now, thanks to what I overheard and the image that immediately came after, and as I'm filling their order, my mind wanders again like it's been doing all day.

*.*.*.*.*.*

 _Even with the combined power of almost all our spirits, Yukino and myself are only able to knock Uosuke down for a little bit and when he gets up again, it's like he doesn't even have a scratch on him and we even threw everything we had at him. Man, he's a lot tougher than he looks._

 _My last hope is the spirit I've had the longest, Aquarius. Now that there's water in the area, this should be a piece of cake for us. I just hope she's not too mad at me for all of this. I wonder how the others are making out. Please be okay, guys!_

*.*.*.*.*.*

It's so weird how this train of thought just picks up almost right where it left off the last time. I wish I kew why my brain is doing this to me.

I shake my head free from those thoughts as I bring the order from the bar to the table with my friends. I hand everyone their respective drinks and Erza her cake and go head to the bar and plop on one of the stools, huffing in the process.

"Awww," I hear Mira coo, "is someone having a rough day?"

I nod as I slump over the bar, resting my head in my folded arms.

"Why don't you take a break? There's a bed upstairs if you want a nap."

"I don't know, Mira. I've been having this weird dream lately and it's continuing even in my daydreams. I don't really know if sleep is what I need."

"Hmmm...," she thinks out loud, "maybe you do need to sleep just to get this dream over with," she suggests.

I sigh, "alright, I guess I can give it a shot. You don't mind, do you?," I ask a little worried.

She giggles, "no, not at all," and waves me off with a smile.

I follow her suggestion, heading upstairs to finish whatever the hell this weird dream is.

* * *

 **Okay, sorry guys. I had to edit and repost this chapter because some things were messed up and I also was missing a whole thing down here. So, I was thinking of giving Natsu a summer job as well. However, I have no idea what type of job to give him. I don't really want him to work at Fairy Tail with Lucy, though because that was my first thought, but I wanted him to have a job away from Lucy.**

 **It seems like you guys really like this story, which I am both surprised by and grateful for. I am open to all suggestions for Natsu's job so please let me know!**


	31. Chapter 31

**So, I know some of you are fed up with the way I have these chapters organized and how the past couple of chapters have mostly been "dreams" but they have a purpose and that is to move this story along. I apologize to those readers, but that's just the way it is right now so bear with it just a little longer. After this little bit here in this chapter, that'll be it for a while.**

* * *

"You guys have beds here?," I ask Mira, shocked at the thought.

It's a bar and restaurant. Why does it need a room of beds?

Mira giggles, "Of course, silly. They're for the people like Cana or her father that get so drunk they can't even go home. Oh, but Laxus, Makarov's grandson also sleeps upstairs sometimes. He's around my age. He's tall, muscular, and has a head of spiky blonde hair like Makarov did when he was young," Mira chuckles sadly as the light briefly leaves her eyes.

Interesting...

Mira takes a breath and continues, "he hasn't been around much lately. Makarov kinda disowned him briefly for being a jerk to some of our younger customers. They got over it eventually and are patching things up now which is good but he hasn't been around lately. He's been out of town on business for the past month, but it's there whenever he's in town. Uhh, anyway, you can go use one of the beds. The room is the second door on your left when you get to the top of the stairs," she smiles with her bright pearly white smile she had before.

"Wow, thanks Mira," I smile at her gratefully.

A few moments later, I head up to the second floor of the restaurant and make it to the room she mentioned. When I make it up the stairs, I head down to the second door on my left and see the room is open. I poke my head in and see a rather large room, with two rows of about four beds on each end, facing each other with curtains separating the beds for privacy, much like an infirmary. The room has a gray stone floor, with brick walls and fresh flowers at every nightstand. Huh, I wonder if Mira comes in to take care of the flowers every day.

I make my way to the bed closest to the door, pull back the covers and lie down. My eyes close immediately after a brief yawn, then I roll over and drift off once more.

 _I summoned Aquarius to beat this goon but she isn't in the greatest of moods today. I think it has something to do with Scorpio, but she's not giving me any details. Come on, Aquarius! At least take your anger that you have for whatever situation is going on in your relationship and let it out on the enemy!_

 _He boiled the water thinking it could stop her from using it against him, but he was wrong. Aquarius even reminded me of the time when I was little and summoned her in my bathtub. Did she really have to bring_ that _up at a time like this?_

 _He then provoked her even more by saying something negative about her relationship, which is never a good thing, especially when she's upset about it to begin with. Oh, he's about to drown in his own hot spring._

 _Once we finally defeated the fish-obsessed Garou Knight with one of Aquarius's angry whirlpools, we ran into everyone else in the same room, and apparently they all defeated their respective opponents at the same time. Huh, well that's convenient._

 _Now that our team has once again reunited, we all follow the direction the leader of the Garou Knights gave Natsu after he defeated him. From what I can tell, Natsu really scared the crap outta him while they were fighting. I wonder what he did to get that type of reaction._

 _A little while later, while still following the leader's direction, Wendy says that she can kinda feel a breeze coming from the way we're heading, and Natsu can smell something which means we have to be getting somewhere. Sure enough, there's a massive door that we can only assume leads out of this place._

 _The door looks extremely heavy, so Natsu thinks he can get it open by blasting a fist full of fire on it and bursting his way through. Good plan, except as he's winding up to slam into the door, it opens from the outside, startling Natsu so much that he loses his focus and rolls the rest of his way to the door, landing at the feet of the person who opened it._

 _All I can see is a figure in a pair of sandals and a black, white and gold cloak with the hood up, hiding the person's face._

 _"Uh, thanks but who the hell are you?!," he bluntly asks the hooded figure as he's half-kneeling in front of them._

 _When the person doesn't give him an immediate answer, he decides to sniff them to try and see if he can identify them, which is NOT AT ALL weird in any way. I really wonder what I'm going to do with him somedays. However, right now is not the time to think about that. Instead, I should be focusing on the cloaked person that is now standing in front of us and whether or not we should trust them._

 _"Hey, hold on a sec. I recognize that scent." Natsu sniffs again, saying "no doubt about it! I know exactly who that is," he says confidently._

 _The person whispers his name as they start to sob. Natsu and Wendy hear better than we do at first as the person sobs. He sits back into a kneeling position as he watches the cloaked figure._

 _"What the hell?!," he says with disbelief and shock in his voice as the figure sobs while begging for his help, saying that everyone is in danger and they were the only survivor._

 _"It sounds just like her," Yukino says surprised._

 _"I don't understand," Mira says dumbfounded._

 _"Neither do I," Wendy concurs, "what's going on here?"_

 _"I wish I knew," Loke says suspiciously._

 _I finally gain the courage to walk up to the cloaked figure and tell them, "hold on, who are you? Show us who you are."_

 _The person removes their hood and I am just as shocked as my friends are when I find I'm staring myself in the face._

 _"LUCY?!" Natsu shouts stunned._

 _The person under the hood was me._

* * *

I walk around Fairy Tail for a little bit, talking with Erza and Gray until I notice something a little off about the area.

"Hey Mira, where's Lucy?" I ask Mira as she's pouring Macao another drink.

She giggles, "Lucy went upstairs to rest for a little bit. She said something was really bothering her so she went to go sleep on it and hopefully work out what was bothering her so much. You're welcome to go check on her if you want," Mira suggests with a sly grin on her face.

Some days I wonder what goes on in that platinum blonde head of hers.

I roll my eyes, shake my head, and sigh as I make my way upstairs to where Lucy is. When I make it to the door, I see that it's only open a crack. I open it a little further as quietly as I possibly can and squeeze myself in the room through the gap I've made for myself.

As I sit down on the bed next to hers, I hear Lucy moan, "Natsu, don't sniff them, that's just weird," as she rolls over onto her back. I chuckle quietly to myself as I imagine what she could possibly be dreaming about, the weirdo that she is.

I watch her sleeping face peacefully for a while, her eyebrows scrunching together occasionally, until I hear soft sobs coming from her and see little tears roll down her cheeks. I wipe them off gently with the tip of my thumb, trying not to wake her, and place a kiss on her forehead to try and soothe her while she sleeps. I am tempted to just wake her up from this nightmare, but maybe it's for the best that I leave her alone. She is still mad at me, after all.

With that, I sigh as I caress her cheek gently and think to myself, 'what if she's going through the same thing I went through the other night?'

It's possible. I mean, I did wake up crying too, but that was because Lucy died right in front of me. It can't be the exact same reason she's crying, can it?

I'm removed from my thoughts suddenly by Lucy gasping as she forcefully sits up. She looks at me briefly before lunging in my direction, knocking me down onto the bed I'm sitting on top of as she tackles me with a bear hug.

"I am SO sorry, Natsu," Lucy apologizes. "I don't want to lose you," she says as she buries her face in my chest and starts to cry. Geez, what happened?

"Uhh, Lucy? Are you okay?," I ask her both confused and concerned.

The only thing I get out of her is a repeated "I'm sorry" for the longest time **(cue Billy Joel)** while I'm whispering "It's okay, Lucy" back to her every time she does it.

I wrap my arms around her in a tight embrace, silently promising to never let her go again. I manage to sit up again with her still tightly wrapped around me like a monkey. She continues to sob into my chest as I soothingly rub her back and run my fingers through her hair.


	32. Chapter 32

***Warning* The second half of this chapter is very suggestive. That's why this story is rated T. ANYWAY, I hope you enjoy! Lemme know what you guys think.**

* * *

After a good ten minutes of Lucy sobbing and me soothing her, she finally calms down enough to speak clearly enough so that I can understand what she's saying. I pull away from her just a little bit so I can look at her face. When I do, I see the remnants of her initial reaction: a pout, as her face returns to normal from the small frown I'm pretty sure she was making.

"Lucy, what happened?," I ask concerned.

She sighs heavily, then apologizes to me once more as she sniffles, like she hasn't already done that a dozen times in the past ten minutes.

"First, I want to start off with an apology and a reason for not talking t, you at all this past month. I just felt so hurt by what you did and needed some space to figure things out for myself. I also don't think the best way to do that was by ignoring you, because that hurt more than you not telling me the truth. I would have these dreams about this other world, like I told you before, and I noticed that even if you were not the main focus of the dream at the time, you were there anyway. It was almost like a sign that I should stop ignoring you at some point and just forgive you," she chuckles.

"And I would absolutely hate that, because I was so mad at you at the time," she smiles. I love her smile- her real smile. Not the fake crap she was giving me before. This, right now, is much better.

"And what about now? A-Are you mad at me anymore?" I ask cautiously.

She shakes her head 'no' with a smile, saying "Honestly, I can't stay mad at you forever, Natsu. It was so hard and it hurt so much because you're one of my best friends!"

* * *

"It was so hard and it hurt so much because you're one of my best friends!"

And I love you...

I'll admit it to myself. I love him.

Within seconds of me speaking my last words, Natsu's hold on me tightens and his hand gently forces my head back to his chest. I hum contentedly now that I'm back in his warm embrace once again.

"Is everything okay, Lucy?"

I smile and mumble into his chest, "yeah. Everything's perfect now."

"I really missed this, ya know," I sigh after a few content moments of silence while leaning into him.

I feel his chest rumble as he softly chuckles at me, squeezing me tighter and resting his head on top of mine.

"Oh yeah? And who's fault is that?," he accusingly jokes.

"I guess it's now both of our faults, huh? Yours for not telling me and mine for not speaking to you after you repeatedly apologized to me," I quietly admit to him.

I feel his chin move back and forth on top of my head as he nods, followed by a warm, gentle pressure on my forehead which makes me smile.

* * *

After a short time, Lucy apparently remembers what we were talking about previously and says she has more to tell me. I loosen my grip on her enough so that she can say what she has to say to me.

"I had another dream...," she starts. She takes a deep breath,

"I had another dream, and I'm not quite sure it's finished yet."

"What do you mean, Lucy?," I ask her, concerned.

She takes another breath in and starts explaining as she's gesturing towards me with her hands, "I read the dream you had that you messaged me about a while ago. You said at the beginning of it, you were trying to break me out of jail and that I was put in there because I was a celestial wizard, and therefore an accessory to whatever crime was committed by the general, right?"

I nod, "yeah, I think so... and?"

"Well, my dream started off right before that when we met with Yukino and the general. It's basically the same dream as yours except from my point of view. I get thrown in jail with Yukino and you, Mira, Happy, Carla, Wendy, and Pantherlily come to rescue us. Oh, and that reminds me. Who the heck is Pantherlily?!," Lucy asks.

* * *

"Oh, Gajeel has a black cat named Pantherlily, so that's probably why you're thinking of the little tough guy," Natsu says as he shrugs his shoulders like it's no big deal.

"Huh... but I haven't even met his cat, so that's weird... anyway, my dream pretty much lined up with what you told me since that point. Then, we got sent to the Abyss Palace by the princess, get split up, fight and ultimately defeat the Garou Knights. And then, the group reassembles with Loke and then we come up to this giant set of doors that you try to open with your magic but it's unnecessary and you end up off balance and roll your way down to the door and right in front of the person who opens it."

"But that was you. You opened the door begging for my help, saying that our world was doomed," he explains as I'm assuming he recalls his own dream.

"Yeah, exactly," I agree. "She said we were her only hope and I'm not exactly sure how or why but for some reason, I saw a flash of what she was talking about. She saw a version of you- her version of you... lifeless. The only thing left was your scarf blowing in the breeze as it hung from a metal post."

"But it wasn't really you. It was you from the future," he says as he finishes my train of thought.

I nod and shrug my shoulders, "yeah, but it's still me, which freaked me out enough to wake me up."

* * *

Lucy suddenly flops backward off of me and onto the bed with a loud groan. She lets out a frustrated sigh as she raises her head to look at me and supports herself on her elbows.

"You good, Lucy?"

She rolls her eyes, "ugh, no. I can't get that stupid dream out of my head! It's really bothering me because even though I don't want to think about it, it keeps coming back."

She sits up Indian style, pouts, and crosses her arms in front of her chest. I love when she pouts, it's so cute. I can't help but smile at her.

I sigh, "Listen, Lucy. I don't know why this is bothering you so much. It didn't bother me this much when I had it."

"It's bothering me because I know from your dream that I'm gonna sacrifice myself for me at the end of it. That sacrifice is what's got to me. It's different when you know you're gonna die, Natsu. Or at least, a version of yourself is," she says as she looks down at her hands sadly.

"Hey, if you want, I can try and help you get your mind off of it," I offer.

"You'd really do that for me, Natsu?," Lucy asks with big, pleading brown eyes.

"'course Lucy! You're my best friend. I'd do anything for you."

She smiles at me as she thanks me and I get to thinking.

"Hmmm..."

* * *

His brow furrows and his face scrunches up so much as he's thinking it's honestly starting to look like he's more constipated than lost in thought.

"Uhhh, Natsu?," I ask trying to get his attention back.

He raises his eyebrows, and looks at me with wide doe eyes as he hums in an inquiring tone, "Hmmm?"

That innocent look in his eyes immediately vanishes and is replaced with a very serious one as his face relaxes and a lopsided, devilish grin slowly grows on his lips.

Uh oh...

* * *

Lucy needs a distraction, huh? Well, I'll surely give her one.

* * *

"Natsu... what are you thinking?" I frightfully ask the man sitting underneath me as he grins maniacally.

After a playful smirk and a wink, Natsu says, "I'm about to give you what you need.. a distraction."

* * *

I swiftly grab her ankles and pull, while at the same time, I flip over myself and catch myself quickly so I am now hovering just a few inches over her resulting in her releasing the cutest yelp I have ever heard. As I'm catching my breath and bracing myself in a half push-up position, I can't help but chuckle at Lucy's reaction.

She has her eyelids shut tight, like she's got them clamped together with imaginary clothespins or something. Her face is scrunched up in fear and her teeth are clenched while her body is in the fetal position and her arms are slightly shaking as she holds them in front of her face.

"Awwww," I coo at her teasingly, "What's the matter Lucy? Why so shy all of a sudden?"

Lucy's eyes pop open and her face and body both slowly relax and straighten out underneath me after some time. Her hands also fall to her sides and she gently fists the covers underneath her.

* * *

He's so... close. Why does he have to be this close?!

I don't think my heart can handle this.

I can almost _see_ the heat radiating off of him with our proximity. It's unbelievable! I take a deep breath to try and calm my racing heart but with little success.

The next thing I know, I'm holding my breath as two hot, chapped lips press gently against my own.

* * *

I hear Lucy grip the sheets underneath her harder in shock as she lets out a soft, little moan.

That just gets me all fired up and is all I need to deepen the kiss.

* * *

Natsu starts kissing me harder and more passionately and I subconsciously release my hold on the sheets below me. Seemingly on their own, my hands reach up above me and crash into something hard and warm before slowly and carefully making their way up the front of his torso to the back of his neck before they start playing with his soft, spiky pink locks.

I hear and feel what sounds like a low growl coming from his core while he's still giving me deep, passionate kisses one right after the other. He pins me down by my wrists and slowly, gently he kisses down the right side of my neck, over to the other side painstakingly slow across the top of my chest and finally makes his way back up the other side. It feels like torture and tickles so much that he squeezes my wrists harder in order to get me to stay still.

He doesn't stop when he gets back to my lips though, he keeps going up my jaw line until he starts nibbling on my left ear. His hot breathing on my ear gives me goosebumps and makes me shiver in delight as he growls huskily in between nibbles "ya know Luce,"

I hum as he's nibbling on, "Hmmm?"

"I love you too."


	33. Chapter 33

"Ya know Luce," I breathe right into her ear.

She hums a "Hmmm?" in response and I can't help but smile at the words that just popped into my head as I remembered what she said to me a little while ago.

"I love you too."

I hear her breath hitch and I stop what I'm doing and lift myself up a little to ask her what's wrong but when I look in her direction, the look of shock on her face answers my question.

* * *

Oh, crap! I can't believe I said that out loud. I have GOT to stop doing that!

"Uhhh," I laugh nervously, "just forget I ever said anything out loud, okay?" I squeak out while avoiding his gaze.

"Why? It's not like you haven't told me before," Natsu states.

He shrugs his shoulders and gestures with his hands, "I mean it wasn't as _direct_ as that but, ya know..."

"What?," I say dumbfounded as my eyes meet his onyx black orbs.

He sighs, "before the whole... fight..." He rubs the back of his neck nervously while avoiding my gaze. "Uhh, I think you told me at least once that you liked Salamander..."

"Wait. No I didn't. I _know_ I told Levy that I liked him... you... uhhhh... both? Oh my god. Are you telling me you heard that conversation?!" He nods.

"Oh crap, I- I didn't even know you were there! I... I gotta go...go back to work. Uhhhh, Mira! I'm sure Mira needs my help by now. Kinana's not here today, so I'm sure she's going crazy down there by herself," I laugh nervously.

* * *

"Uhhhhh, thanks! Thanks for the distraction, Natsu, BYE!," Lucy shouts as she gets up quickly and dashes out of the room, leaving me in the dust.

"Lucy come back! I think we should talk about this!," I shout after her, but she's long gone by now.

"What the HELL was that about?!," I think out loud as I flop down on my back and throw my legs out in front of me. I groan in frustration as I roll onto my stomach and support my head with my hands.

* * *

"Lucy come back! I think we should talk about this!," I hear Natsu yell after me as I'm dashing out of the room. I slow down to a stop, pulling over and sliding down the wall until I hit the floor after I leave the room and hear the beds in the room creak and him shout, "what the HELL was that about?!"

I understand he wants to talk but I can't. I don't know what to say. I don't even know where to _start!_

I mean, I convinced myself for the longest time that Natsu and Salamander were two completely different people. I even told Levy she was wrong when she was absolutely, positively right. I even ignored that whole 'Salamander' dream I had about him too, thinking I was caving to Levy's word.

I should've listened to her the first time around... and my heart. My heart- it would confuse the hell out of me because it would race whenever he would do something sweet.

Ever since the first time he kissed me to shut me up, it felt like my heart was going to leap out of my chest and run a marathon.

 _I stop talking instantaneously with my eyes wide open when my mouth is covered by something warm, almost hot and somewhat chapped. My extended arm starts to bend and my eyes close as he comes closer. It feels gentle, cautious...almost nervous, like he's afraid of what might happen if something were to go wrong._

 _He takes a hand and brings it up to cup my cheek and before I fully process what he's doing, he pulls away slightly._

 _"Luce..." he says in a husky, breathless voice as he searches my eyes for something and uses one thumb to gently caress my cheek and the other to play with my bottom lip. "...you were rambling again."_

I instantly get chills and want to smile at the thought of it... even though I was so confused at the time. However, that memory alone gives me a wonderfully warm feeling inside.

Even when he let me keep his scarf to make me feel better after what happened with my father... it would just hammer on uncontrollably.

 _"That shirt is cut too low and that skirt is too short. It's all hideously revealing, and what is with that- that...thing tied around your neck," he says as he points a finger in my direction._

 _"That's the worst part of the whole ensemble. It looks like you're trying to cover something up, and I don't like it. Go change out of that immediately and return when you are suitable. I am arranging a meeting between you and one of my associates' sons in a few hours and I want you dressed to impress, so you'd better look a hell of a lot better than that."_

 ** _***.***.***.***_**

 _I reach into my bag, pulling out his scarf that I neatly folded and hand it over to him with a simple "here."_

 _"Hey, I've been looking for that," he says joyously, reaching for the scarf._

 _I try to hide my sadness but fail when my stupid words get caught in my throat and my voice cracks as I say, "yeah, I can imagine. Virgo found it after you left the other day while we were cleaning up the living room. She was going to get rid of it, but I stopped her because I know how much it means to you," I say sadly, not even trying to hide it anymore._

 _"Uhhh," he hesitates, "thanks Luce. I really appreciate that. It means a lot to me that you would do that."_

 _"That's what friends are for, right?," I let out an empty chuckle before I meet his eyes for a brief moment as he's looking in my direction. He takes the scarf from me, gives me a half smile, then shockingly wraps and ties it around my own neck instead of his._

 _"What's this for?," I ask completely surprised, "I thought you wanted this back."_

 _"I did at first," he states, "but you look like you need it more than I do."_

 _He then explains the scarf's purpose, "this scarf has brought me a lot of comfort since my dad gave it to me when I was little. It was like my 'security blanket.' Whenever I was in an uncomfortable situation, I would tug at the scarf and that would calm me down. Maybe it can do the same for you, Luce."_

That was the first time I smiled that day. It meant a lot to me. And I can still smell his signature campfire scent from the scarf when I go back to that memory.

And when I noticed my heart would do the same crazy thing when I was talking to Sal, I thought I was in so much trouble because in my head, I thought I was feeling the same way for two different guys but my heart... It knew the truth all along and I was too freaking stubborn to listen to it.

"Uuuugh, I feel so stupid!"

* * *

I sit back up, realizing I should probably get downstairs too before Mira thinks I passed out up here too... or worse. I shiver in my tracks at that thought. I stop however, when I hear a very frustrated groan come from the hallway outside this room. Huh, it sounded just as frustrated as I felt a few minutes ago.

I quietly make my way to the entrance of the room, look out into the hall and see Lucy leaning against the wall and curled up in a ball on the floor, her head leaning back so it rests on the wall behind her.

I chuckle as quietly to myself as possible at her obvious, minor frustration. I don't know why, but seeing her like this is always so cute... maybe it's because I can try and ease her frustrations... hopefully.

"O-Oi, Luce..."

* * *

My head jolts upright at the familiar voice and my heart immediately starts hammering once again at the nickname only he calls me.

"Natsu..."

He smiles slightly as he slides down the wall to my right and asks, "whatcha still doin' up here? I thought you'd already be downstairs helpin' Mira by now."

"I- I was going to, but I stopped myself to calm down and do some thinking before I embarrass myself."

He chuckles, "you mean, more than you do on a regular basis?"

I roll my eyes and elbow him smiling, and yelling, "shut up!"

* * *

I can see Lucy smile as she looks away after elbowing me, trying to hide it.

"Hey, what were you thinking about?" I ask her curiously.

She turns back to me, still smiling as she says "uhhhhh, you."

"Oh, yeah? What about me?," I ask skeptically.

Her cheeks start to turn a rosy pink before she says "nothing bad, don't worry."

"Are you sure?"

She sighs, "yes, Natsu. I'm sure. You don't have to worry. It's all good things."

"Well, that's good." I give her shoulder a nudge, "so, are you gonna share your thoughts or 're ya just gonna keep 'em to yourself?"

She giggles, "nah, I think I'll keep 'em to myself," and sticks her tongue out in my direction.

"Oh, come on, Luce! Tell me."

"No," she sticks her nose up in the air in the opposite direction, resisting me.

"Tell me," I persist.

"Nope," she sticks her tongue out at me once more.

"Don't make me tickle it out of you," I threaten.

She gasps sarcastically, "you wouldn't!," and gives me a shocked face.

I get in position and smirk, ready to fire.

* * *

Natsu reaches out to me and starts tickling me all over. He goes for my waist first, getting me a little bit but when he doesn't get the response I'm assuming he's looking for, he works his way down my legs and eventually pulls off my flats and starts tickling my weakest spot- the souls of my feet. I try to squirm my way out of his grip and beg in between laughs, "Natsu, ahahah! Stop, ahaha! Please?!"

"Tell me and I'll stop," he offers.

"Oh ahahahaha fine!" I finally manage to get out in between laughs.

He stops and I catch my breath while searching for my shoes which he threw down the hall.

Once I sit back down next to Natsu and finish getting my shoes back on, I smile at him and rest my head on his shoulder.

I smile to myself as I tell him, "I was thinking about how sweet you were at times that were unexpected or I needed you the most."

"Oh? Like when?," he asks.

"Oh, you want specifics?," I tease him, looking up and giving him big puppy dog eyes.

He smiles down at me and nods, "yes please."

"Will ya look at that. The big hot head does have manners," I tease further.

"OI!," he shouts back making me jump for a brief second. I know he doesn't mean it so I just roll my eyes, smile, and laugh at his annoyance.

"I was actually remembering the time you surprised me by letting me keep your scarf after what happened with my father and how you were the only one to really make me smile that day," I admit.

"Oh... really?"

I nod, "Mmmmhm. Yeah, it was really unexpected and sweet and... I loved it."

He gives me his signature wide grin that I love and I smile back before he asks, "uhhh Luce, can we talk about what keeps happening between us now or are you going to flee again?"


	34. Chapter 34

"Uhhh Luce, can we talk about what keeps happening between us now or are you going to flee again?"

I shake my head and smile, "no, I think I can talk about... us now. We have to eventually, right?," I chuckle nervously.

"Hey, don't give me that attitude," he says.

"Why not? I have no idea where to start," I confess, hopelessly.

* * *

"I guess I'll start," I offer.

With all of Lucy's attention on me, I start from the beginning, "I love you, Lucy. Ever since I saw you on the first day you started here, I had a feeling there was something very special about you and somehow, I knew I wanted to know more about you."

* * *

I see his cheeks redden slightly as he says, "I- I confess, I had a huge crush on you at first. I was always curious as to who you really were since you were hanging out with my cousin's girlfriend so much and she seemed to really like you. I was automatically intrigued about how you got to be the way you are today once I saw how Levy instantly attached herself to you at the hip," he chuckles.

"And through the chat room, little by little, I got to see that. I got to see 'Star,' the side of you that Levy likes so much and I got to know the dorky, weirdo anime nerd that you are."

* * *

She bursts out laughing, "Oh like you should be talking, Mister 'My-Little-Sister-Got-Me-Into-Ouran'."

"OI!," I try to argue but ultimately fail because she's laughing even harder now at my little outburst.

"Ya know, I don't really believe Wendy was the one who started that tradition of yours. I think it was ALL you, _Salamander,_ " she states before she sticks her tongue out at me… again. I sigh as I consider, 'I really have to do something about that tongue of hers if she sticks it out one more time…'

"Watch it, _Star,_ " I warn.

"Why? Whatcha gonna do, tickle me again?," she taunts.

"Yeah, something like that…" I smirk, "Or something worse…"

"Uhhh," Lucy chuckles anxiously as she starts to stand up, "maybe I should go… back to work."

"Oh, no ya don't," I grab her wrist and pull her back down. "Not this time. We're finishing this conversation," I declare as she lands right in my lap with an "Oof!"

She turns to me, pouts and glares at me but gives up after a few seconds as she asks, "so, you were saying?"

"Yes, before you rudely interrupted me with your laughter outburst, I was going to say that the more I got to know about you, the more I liked. I felt like I was addicted to a new drug. Just hearing your laugh or seeing you smile made my day and I wanted to do it more and more and when I figured out that you were Star, it just made everything better," I find myself smiling madly as I'm explaining this to her.

"How so?," she asks as she tilts her head curiously like her dog.

"I remember saying to myself when we first started talking online, 'if only Lucy and Star were the same girl,' not realizing then that you were, in fact the same person. So, making you happy as either myself or as Salamander online was my number one goal."

* * *

"Awwww, Natsu…"

That's so sweet. I never knew he felt that way.

I wrap my arms around him in a hug, taking in his eternal warmth. He responds by wrapping his own arms around me, holding me close.

I sigh, asking the first question that pops into my mind, "why and how on earth are you always so warm? You're like a mini furnace!," I exclaim.

I feel him shrug as he says, "ehhh, I blame the fire magic," making me giggle as something comes to mind.

 _"I have been talking to this guy who calls himself 'Salamander.' Well, I haven't been talking to him... more like messaging him. I really like him. He's sweet, funny, charming, he and I have a lot of things in common. He's almost too good to be true."_

We stay like that for a few moments before he asks, "hey, don't you have something to say too, missy?," breaking the hug and ultimately killing the moment.

"Yeah, I guess I do. And actually, I just realized a little while ago that I was wrong about something," I confess.

"Oh yeah? What?," he questions.

"I did tell you I liked Salamander- uhh, you," I say.

"See?! I told ya," he gloats.

I roll my eyes at him. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, stop gloating," and I cross my arms over my chest.

I uncross my arms after a few seconds, saying, "I remember telling you that I thought he was sweet, funny, charming, and almost to good to be true, not realizing at the time that I was referring to you." I laugh softly, "ya know, what you said before that actually makes sense now."

"Remind me... what did I say?"

"You remember that I had the dream where the one who I thought was Salamander originally was a total creep?"

He nods, "yeah, of course."

"Well, we were talking about that and you said he wasn't a creep because of the way I spoke about him. And honestly, I still feel that way about you now. Ever since the first time you kissed me, I've been getting this weird feeling inside and after a while, I would feel the exact same way talking to you online as Sal. Like, I would get all excited and my heart would start to race. It would drive me nuts!"

He laughs a little as I continue explaining, "I was so worried that I was falling for two different people at the same time. I really felt like I was the bachelorette at the very end of the season when I had to make a very tough decision. But, now that I know that it's all you, I don't have to worry so much anymore."

* * *

"I love you, Natsu. I have to admit, I love your wild and crazy side, but I also love your sweet and charming side that I got to know online," she smiles. "And ya know," she adds, "You were right, strangely. You really are too good to be true."

"Uhh, thanks Luce," I say a little embarrassed.

It really does mean a lot that she said that, but it's still a little embarrassing. However, now that we have nothing to hide anymore, I suggest nervously, "uhh, you wanna see a movie this weekend?"

She smiles, "of course. I would love to... just nothing too scary like that movie you brought over to my house when we had that sleepover. Please," she begs.

I sigh, "oh, fine. Nothin' too scary, I promise. Well, maybe a little scary."

"NATSU!," she whines.

I laugh, "I'm kidding, Luce. I swear. I'll let you pick the movie, how's that sound?," I suggest.

She nods and smiles again, "sounds good."

"Alright! We got a date," I smile back at her as we both get up off the floor and prepare to head downstairs.

* * *

Natsu and I decided that I should head downstairs first so Mira isn't too suspicious. He told me that a favorite past-time of hers was setting people up and gushing over their relationships and even mentioned that she tried to set him up with her little sister at one point, even though he told her they were just friends and didn't feel that way about each other.

So, I make my way down to the first floor of the restaurant to where Mira is chatting with Cana and Macao as she's refilling their drinks at the bar.

"Hey Mira, hey guys!," I say smiling as I wave a hand in their direction.

"Lucy! Hey! You're back!," she smiles back at me.

I nod, "yeah, I'm back and ready to start serving drinks." I take a serving tray, notepad and pen, working my way around the tables to make sure all of our guests are taken care of. When I come back to the bar to take a little break a while later, I see Natsu making his way down the stairs and over to where I'm currently sitting at the end of the bar.

"So, what happened, did you fall asleep upstairs after I left?," I ask him as he sits down in the barstool next to me.

"Nah, I was just on the phone talking with my parents."

"Oh, what about?"

He sighs, "they want me to keep an eye on Wendy while they're away for the weekend."

"Oh, well that doesn't seem too bad," I try and reason with him.

"It's not, except I wanted to watch a movie with you, remember?," he states as if I've somehow forgotten in the short amount of time since we've spoken about it.

"Yeah, I remember. Hey, why don't we watch the movie at your house so you can please your parents?," I suggest.

"When are they leaving?"

"They're leaving Friday night and they come back Sunday afternoon."

"Awwww, that's cute," I coo as Natsu looks at me like I've got ten heads.

"They're going away on a mini-vacay, it's cute," I explain. "Where are they going?"

"They're going to a small town called Acaphyla to visit some old friends of theirs."

"Hey, small world. That's where my parents met and used to live before they moved to Magnolia and had me," I state, excited.

"Really?!," Natsu asks intrigued.

I nod, "mmmhm!"

"That's cool. I'll ask my mom later and see if she'd be okay if you come over while I'm watching Wendy this weekend. I gotta go, I'll talk to you later, Luce."

"Wait, where are you going?," I ask as he's leaving.

"To pick up Wendy. She's at a friend's house," he explains.

"Awww what a good big brother you are," I tease.

He shrugs and smiles, winking at me as he turns to leave... smooth...

"Sounds great! Bye Natsu!" I smile at him and wave as he leaves.

I hear a high pitched giggle behind me and I swivel the chair around to see Mira smiling at me while she cleans the bar top.

"Well you two seem to be on better terms," she observes.

I nod, "yeah, we sorta worked things out upstairs. We talked through a lot and then some," I smile as I think back to what happened upstairs.

"Oh, really? Tell me more!," she says curiously with wide eyes.

"Later, there are too many people here. I'll tell you once we close," I promise.

She smiles, "That's fair, but you better not forget, Lucy."

"I won't," I say as I get up from the stool, grab a tray full of drinks and get back to work.


	35. Chapter 35

**Hello readers, I am so sorry I haven't updated in a while. I've been meaning to but I got so busy with school and work and other things but I am here and I have a new chapter for you all. Enjoy!**

I'm about to head downstairs to the main floor of the restaurant before my phone starts to ring.

"Hello?," I answer the phone.

"Natsu, sweetie, don't forget you have to watch Wendy this weekend," my mom reminds me.

Ah, shit. "I did forget, Mom," I respond honestly, then sigh. "How long are you and Dad going away for?"

"From Friday night all the way through Sunday afternoon, honey," she says in a very cheery voice.

I sigh, "alright, I guess. I was planning on doing something with Lucy but I'm gonna have to change things around."

"Sorry sweetie," Mom apologizes.

"It's not your fault, Ma. I completely forgot since I had other things on my mind," I admit honestly.

"Oh, Natsu? Can you do me a favor and go pick up your sister from her friend Sherria's house? I'm on my break and can't leave and come back in time," Mom explains.

"Sure, Mom. D'ya want me to go get her now?," I ask.

"Yes, please."

"Mmk, I will. I'll let ya know when we get home."

"Thank you, dear. I love you," she says as she hangs up.

I put my phone away as I'm walking down the stairs and towards the bar where I spot Lucy, taking the seat next to hers for a few moments until I have to leave. In the few minutes I have before I have to go pick up Wendy, I explain to her that I have to watch her over the weekend which, in my opinion, killed all our weekend plans. But Lucy doesn't think it's that bad. She even suggested that she come over and we watch the movie at my house which I thought was a great idea.

Now, I just have to ask mom if that's okay later, when she gets home from work.

* * *

After Natsu leaves, Fairy Tail just seems to get busier and busier. I'm on my feet serving drinks and food non-stop for the next few hours. Ugh, when will this night end?!

* * *

I make my way to Sherria's house to pick up Wendy and when I knock on the door, Mrs. Blendy answers with the girls behind her, giggling while they're chatting away in the living room.

"Oh, hello, Natsu. I wasn't expecting you to come get Wendy today," Mrs. Blendy says surprised.

"Yeah, well our mom's workin' late today, so she asked me to do this for her so she doesn't have to stress over it."

"Well, that's nice of you," she complements as Wendy gathers her things and she and Sherria say their goodbyes.

I smile and nod as a thank you while I'm standing at the door, waiting for my sister.

A few seconds later, Wendy pops out the door, very giddy, and bubbly like she usually is and waves one last time to Sherria as we're walking home.

"So, what happened to Mom?," Wendy asks me.

"Didn't you hear?," I answer her question with one of my own. She cocks her head like a confused dog and I sigh, "she had to work late so she told me to come get you. Don't tell me you're disappointed," I fake a pout and she nudges me with her elbow, trying to knock me over… it didn't work.

I laugh at her failed attempt as she just pouts before she says, "I was hoping Mom would pick me up. I have so much to tell her!," Wendy exclaims as she waves her arms in front of her excitedly.

"Well, you can tell her when she comes home later. I'm sure she'd love to hear what fun you girls had today," I smile at Wendy.

"Hmmm…," she hums as she eyes me suspiciously.

"Yes? What can I do for ya, sis?," I ask.

"There's something different about you, Natsu," she notes.

"Really? Ya think so?"

"Yeah," she nods as she skips happily, "you seem to be in a much better mood than you have been."

"Huh, I guess I just had a good day," I reply, shrugging my shoulders.

"What happened that made it so good?," Wendy asks like she's interrogating me.

"Uhhh… I made up with Lucy," I confess feeling my cheeks burn as she giggles.

"Oooooo, you liiiike her," she teases.

"Yeah, and I actually told her that," I admit as she jumps up and down clapping hysterically.

"This is great, Natsu! So what are you gonna do now?," she asks me.

"I don't know, I was making plans to watch a movie with her this weekend but I forgot that Mom and Dad are going away for the weekend and asked me to watch you," I say, gesturing to Wendy.

"Lucy suggested that she come by us and we watch the movie at our house, which I thought was a good idea," I explain.

"I'm fine with it," Wendy says a little too quickly with a large grin on her face.

"Wendy, don't be planning anything for me and Lucy. We're practically dating now, anyway and I've already kissed her, so there's nothing for you to get involved in," I assure her.

"Awww," she pouts, disappointed.

"I just have to ask Mom if it's okay with her if Lucy comes over while they're away," I say as Wendy nods in agreement.

* * *

Like almost every other bar & restaurant establishment in the world, Fairy Tail usually has some kind of upbeat music playing in the background and there's usually a theme for each night that includes something orchestral, or even karaoke, or just plain old popular music. Tonight's theme is Japanese Pop which I have to admit, is a little odd because I don't really know that much of the language. I only know a little bit from the anime I've watched but I feel like the more I watch, the more I understand the language. Ooooo I like this song already and it just started. It has a really good rhythm!

Before I know it, I'm singing along.

"You don't let me down, when I feel your love

Konna kimochi hajimete

You don't let me down, when you hug and kiss me baby

Soba ni iru to..."

I have a feeling this song's gonna be stuck in my head later.

"Oh la vie, la vie, la vie en rose."

* * *

About an hour later, Mom comes home from work. As soon as she walks in the door, Wendy bombards her with questions about her day and stories of her own. I shake my head and stand there, waiting patiently for my turn to talk to her.

Once Wendy's done and Mom's alone, I walk up to her, "uhhh, Ma?"

She turns to me and answers, "yes, love?"

"Uhhh," I start nervously, "I was wondering whether or not it was alright with you if Lucy came over and we watched some movies this weekend while you two are away," I look down, rubbing the nape of my neck. When I look back up, she smiles sweetly at me.

"Of course, sweetie, just as long as you two behave yourselves. Hey, why doesn't she stay the weekend and help you keep an eye on your sister? I'm sure Wendy won't mind the female company," Mom proposes.

"That's a good idea, Mom. I'll see if she can," I say as I make my way out of the area and up to my room.

* * *

I feel my phone buzz in my pocket as I am helping Mira close up the restaurant. I finish turning over one of the chairs and resting it on top of the table before I pull my phone out to see what that vibration was about.

'Hey Luce,' the text from Natsu read.

I smile to myself and respond with a 'Hey, what's up?', then wait for him to answer as I finish turning over the chairs on these few tables after I wipe them down.

A few moments pass until I feel another buzz from my pocket. I quickly pull it out and read the text which says 'Mom's ok with u coming over this weekend,' which was quickly followed by, 'she suggested u stay over and help me watch Wendy and mayb do some "girl bonding" or wutever lol'.

I roll my eyes and chuckle at him, replying with a 'lol' realizing I now have to disturb the beast, also known as my father, and ask him if I can even go out this weekend. He probably will say no, but I still want to ask him anyway. It's the right thing to do.

I sigh, frustrated as I text my realization to Natsu. I hit send, then a moment later I hear Mira's sweet voice shout, "Lucy!," from the other end of the bar, scaring me and making me jump a foot.

"Mira, you startled me," I laugh, relieved it was only her.

She giggles, "sorry 'bout that, Lucy. I just didn't want you to forget about what you promised me earlier," she says with a sly smile.

I smile reluctantly in return, "no, I didn't forget."

I was hoping you might...Oh well, I guess it's time for the interrogation.

A few moments later, Mira and I make our way to the bar, me sitting on the barstool and her standing behind it on the other side, still smiling at me weirdly.

I take a deep breath in, prepare myself for her squealing, and start telling her what happened.

"Natsu and I made up, obviously," I say.

"Well, duh! That's obvious from the smiles earlier," Mira smiles. "What happened up there specifically?! Come on, Lucy. Don't torture me!," she pleads.

I giggle as I say, "Okay, fine. I was sleeping like you suggested, but something in my dream startled me enough to wake me." I chuckle as I continue, "Natsu was sitting there on the bed next to the one I was in and I practically launched myself at him apologizing."

"Awwwww!," Mira coos, "you made up." She giggles and cheers,"yay!"

I nod as I laugh at her response, "yeah, but that's not all that happened."

"Oh? What else happened?," she asks suspiciously raising an eyebrow at me.


	36. Chapter 36

"He did WHAT?!," Mira shouts surprised.

I giggle and nod as I think about it, "He kissed me. Well, more like he made out with me… but I absolutely loved every second of it."

I smile, still giddy at the fresh memory from this afternoon.

"Ya know, it's not the first time he's kissed me, and I don't think it'll be the last either," I tell Mira honestly.

"He's done this before?! Are you sure you're talking about Natsu? Ya know, wild, pink hair, scaly scarf, obsessed with dragons- that Natsu?," Mira asks still in shock at the thought of Natsu doing anything like that.

I nod, "Yep... Twice."

"You _have_ to tell me about them," she begs.

"I will, but at another time. This is much more important right now," I justify.

I get a groan of disappointment followed by a whiney, "okay, fine."

I take that as permission to continue where I left off.

"He thought of it as a way of keeping my mind off of my horrible dream," I continue.

"That's one hell of a distraction!," Mira states with wide eyes.

"Uhh-huh!," I agree immediately, nodding with wide eyes of my own.

"So, how'd it happen! I need specifics, Lucy!" Mira squeals a little _too_ excitedly.

"Uhh... well, after I stopped crying and apologizing to him, I may have accidentally confessed to him that I love him out loud when I thought I had said it in my head. Then he got this weird, creepy look on his face after I told him that I needed his help getting my mind off of... things. Then, the next thing I know he's hovering over me just a few inches above my face. It was... thrilling," I explain.

"Wow!," Mira exclaims.

"Then, after that excitement, he tells me he loves me too which-"

I'm cut off by a deafening "AWWWWWWWW!" coming from Mira who is literally a foot away from me, and I don't know why she has to scream that loud.

I rub by my left ear to get some of the pain from her squeal to subside before continuing with a loud, "WHICH" to get her attention back so I can finish saying, "surprises me, but after a few minutes, we eventually talk things out and confess to each other."

She squeals with joy once more and jumps up and down behind the bar, repeating "Yay!" as I roll my eyes and get back to finishing up where I left off.

I feel my phone buzz again, taking it out to read 'I hope he lets you come' reminding me that I never actually answered Natsu's last text from before.

I type out an 'I doubt it' followed by a frowning face, then decide to omit the face and hit send. I sigh again, frustrated, as I get my belongings from the closet.

I say goodbye to Mira and start making my way home along the riverbank when I hear a familiar "Lucy!" which startles me and almost makes me lose my footing and fall into the river.

I hear him chuckle, "whoa! Careful, Luce," as he quickly grabs my arm to steady me.

"Natsu," I say, startled, as I try to catch my breath, "wha- what are you doing here so late? Weren't you supposed to be watching Wendy?"

He nods, "Yeah, I was.. but I missed ya. Uhhh...," he rubs the back of his neck. "Can I walk you home?"

* * *

She smiles warmly at me, "sure, of course!"

I smile back at her, giving her the biggest grin I possibly can and grab her hand in mine, shouting "well then, let's go!" as we're racing to her house, laughing hysterically.

***.***.***.***

When Lucy and I turn the corner, I hear sounds that are similar to whimpering and barking coming from the direction of her house which is about halfway down the street.

I stop in my tracks, causing Lucy to almost fall since we were still walking hand in hand and she didn't realize I stopped moving. She regains her balance within seconds and then turns back to me, worried.

"Natsu? Is something wrong?," Lucy asks.

"You still have Plue, right?," I ask her back, momentarily ignoring her question.

"Yeah, of course, why?," she replies.

"It sounds like he's in trouble. Come on!" I answer her, grabbing her hand and pulling her down the street to the source of the sounds.

"Wait, what? He's usually hanging out in my room or sleeping while I'm gone all day. How'd he get out?," she says confused as she tries to keep up with me.

"I don't know, Luce," I answer honestly. "I hope he's alright."

We make our way towards her house and we hear the barking and whimpers get louder and louder the closer we get.

"Plue!," Lucy screams when we come down her long driveway and find the dog whining as he's lying outside the house facing the door.

His ears perk up at the sound of her voice and his tail starts to wag a little bit, but he doesn't move much aside from that.

"Plue? What's wrong, lil' buddy?," I ask softly as we carefully make our way over to him. The closer I get to him, the more I can tell how much pain he's in.

* * *

He whines as Natsu carefully reaches down and pats his head, then lifts him up to his paws see what's wrong. When he does, Plue walks with a little limp and stands on three of his paws meaning somehow, he injured his back right paw.

"He needs to go to the vet, Lucy. I think he broke his leg somehow," Natsu says.

"How are we supposed to get there, Natsu? It's late, the dog hospital is across town, and I don't have anyway of getting him there fast," I ask worried.

* * *

Lucy seems lost and out of options when I remember, "hey, what about your maid-housekeeper-guardian woman. Can't you ask her?"

"Virgo? I guess I could ask her. Wait here, Natsu," Lucy instructs. "I'll be back in a few," she says while running inside her house to get the pink-haired maid with an odd kink.

While Lucy's inside looking for Virgo, I make sure Plue stays calm and as still as possible. I get down on the ground, sit Indian style, and pull Plue into my lap, making sure not to hurt the injured leg. I take a few fingers and gently stroke the top of his head and his back to keep him calm and relaxed. When Lucy comes out, she is fuming, spitting out "come on, we're leaving," harshly as she roughly pulls me and Plue off of the ground and storms off in the direction of the pet hospital, still holding my arm with a vice-like grip.

* * *

"Ugh, I can't believe him. I can't believe he would go _that_ low to get back at me for not doing what he wants," I vent as we're walking to the hospital.

"Lucy? Who are you talking about? What happened to Virgo?," Natsu asks, puzzled.

"Forget her, she's just as guilty as _he_ is for what happened to my dog!," I shout back.

"Lucy! Who?!," Natsu stops and I jerk back from the sudden halt, feeling like I'm pulling on a concrete wall.

I turn back to glare at him and groan, "I'll give you one guess."

"Oh, no! Your father?!," He asks surprised before Plue whines in his arms from the mention of the guilty culprit.

"Is that enough of an answer for ya, Natsu?," I ask before he nods.

"But wait, what does Virgo have to do with what _he_ did to this little guy?" Natsu asks confused as he gestures to Plue by holding him up a little higher.

"Two things: she didn't stop him when he kicked Plue out of the house for no real reason and to make matters worse, he ordered her to 'punish him' which obviously resulted in his injury."

* * *

Lucy groans once more, aggravated "I am SO mad right now. Like, why would he do that to Plue? My dog almost never barks at anything... not even the mailman. He doesn't even leave my room unless he knows I'm home. I just don't get it!," she shouts as we make our way closer to the dog hospital.

"I don't know what to say, Luce," I shrug while she huffs in defeat.

"Come on, we're almost there," I point out after an uncomfortably long silence between us. Sure enough, the big, bright red and white emergency entrance sign comes into view and we bring Plue inside to get examined.

***.***.***.***

After what feels like a week but is really only a few hours, Plue comes out of his little 'surgery' with a nice little light blue cast on his leg. The doctor explains that they had to take X-Rays, open his leg up some, and go in and set the bones because the break was very bad. That way, they could heal properly so he can walk and run correctly once he's all healed up.

It's a little confusing to me, since it's very late at night, but Lucy seems to understand the vet. I think she's just relieved that her little fluff ball is gonna be okay.

After we get said fluff ball released, I carry him in my arms back in the direction of Lucy's house but she stops about halfway there.

I tilt my head, quizzically "what's the matter, Luce?"

"I don't think I want to go home. I just can't- not after everything that happened with Plue," she shakes her head and looks at her dog sadly.

"Well, you guys can come stay with me for the night," I offer. "I'm sure if we explain everything to my parents, they won't mind at all."

Lucy smiles up at me as she rubs Plue in his sweet spot, right behind his ear.

"I appreciate the offer, but I couldn't do that to you guys," she politely turns down my offer.

I insist, "come on, Luce! We do have an extra bed, ya know."

She thinks about it for a second before silently sighing and smiling, "oh, okay, fine. I guess we can take your offer and stay with you for the night."

I smile back at her before slightly changing direction so we can make our way to my house instead of hers.


	37. Chapter 37

"Alright, Lucy. Since it's so late and we have your dog, we have to be extra quiet. I don't want my parents mad at me because I woke them up coming home in the middle of the night."

She nods and signs to Plue to be quiet before we silently make our way into the house and up the stairs to my room. I place Plue down gently on Zeref's bed and Lucy gives him a gentle pat and kiss on the head as he dozes. I close my door as quietly as possible before Lucy and I make our way down the stairs to the den to watch television with the volume down to a faint whisper as to not wake my parents or sister. I lay down across one side of the couch while she lies next to me in between me and the back of the couch. After a while, she leans her back up against me and I wrap one of my arms gently around her neck while my other is around her waist, quietly asking "hey, Luce. Is this okay?" She hums a yes and wraps both of her arms around the one arm that's close to her face, nuzzling into it and squeezing it tight.

We lay like that for a little while before I feel Lucy shift to make herself more comfortable. Lucy lays her head slowly and gently on my chest, right over my heart, while simultaneously wrapping her left arm across my chest. I wrap my arms around her tighter to hold her close and look down, smiling as she closes her eyes, her breathing regulates and her body goes limp as she drifts off in my arms.

I kiss the top of her head gently and she smiles in her sleep, squeezing me as hard as she can, which is really not that hard at all. I think it'd be best if I just let her be for a while, so I turn my attention to the television again, while absentmindedly stroking her back with my hand.

* * *

I hear the muffled sounds of the television until it goes silent and I feel myself drift off.

*.*.*.*.*.*

 _I just recently got married and I've started teaching at our local elementary school. I teach the young students how to read and write and run the library with Levy when I'm not teaching. Today, we took our students to a chocolate factory where they make little figurines out of chocolate._

 _"Come on children! It's time to go! The factory won't wait for us! Get your little butts on that bus!," Cana says surprisingly sober._

 _Cana is another teacher like me, but she can be tough on her students and she drinks a LOT, unlike myself. She and I are the teachers in charge of this trip._

 _"Wow, Cana! I'm surprised at you!," I say, smiling as she makes her way over to where I'm standing._

 _"Why, I can be sober if I want to be!" she defends herself._

 _I laugh, "Were you really so excited about this trip that you didn't drink last night?"_

 _She nods, "Of course, Lucy! I wouldn't want to miss anything on this trip! I absolutely love anything sweet!"_

 _I laugh at her enthusiasm and wave her off with an "okay, okay," as we get on the bus with our respective classes._

 _When we pull up to the factory, the first thing I notice is that it's massive. It looks like something out of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. There are giant smoke stacks, loads of trucks ready to ship out the chocolate, and I can see tons of people moving around inside through the windows and out here near the trucks._

 _I chuckle to myself as I think and hear Cana say, "I wouldn't be surprised if there's a giant edible meadow in the middle of that thing."_

 _"Ya know, I was literally just thinking that," I tell her as she and I both look at each other and laugh while our students look at us with concerned gazes._

 _We usher the little ones inside, assuring them we are just fine as we drop their bags at the entrance and get them ready for the tour._

* * *

I stop rubbing Lucy's back as I look down at her smiling face. I yawn, now tired myself and shuffle around, putting a pillow in my spot underneath Lucy momentarily while I go answer nature's call. When I get back, I still see Lucy smiling in her sleep which makes me smile in return. I sigh as I think "she must be having one hell of a good dream." Then, I scoop her up in my arms, carefully as to not wake her and silently cheer in relief as I make my way up the stairs from the den to my bedroom.

* * *

 _The tour of that factory was AMAZING! It took the entire day because that factory was so big and all the children wanted to do was watch the workers and eat chocolate instead of touring the place but we just ignored their pleas for samples even if a worker offered. They're already hyper enough; we don't need to add sugar to the mix. We did get to see how they made their chocolate and watch them do it for a little while, which was from scratch by the way, and how they molded it and what the finished product would eventually look like. It was REALLY cool!_

* * *

I carefully and quietly push my bedroom door open with my foot, which wakes Plue up. Ugh, I really hope he doesn't start barking!

* * *

 _Cana and I eventually caved and got little souvenir chocolate figurines for our students and even one for the principal of our school, Mavis, who just so happens to be my sister-in-law (yeah, that still feels weird for me to say). However, they will get them when their parents pick them up back at school that way they are no longer our problem._

* * *

I move into my room with Lucy in my arms and successfully, slowly close the door behind me, trying not to make too much noise. Thankfully, Plue behaved and didn't make any noise. Actually, once he realized it was me with Lucy in my arms, he fell right back to sleep. He's such a good dog.

I make my way over to my bed carefully and gingerly lay Lucy down since Plue is still occupying the only other bed in the room. When I release my hold on Lucy, I notice that she has tightly grabbed on to my scarf, so I uncoil it from around my neck and let her keep it for the night. I'm not gonna be surprised if I find it wrapped around her head like a ninja's mask. Oh, wait. Nevermind, that's something I would do.

* * *

 _So, after the whole day was over, Cana and I loaded up all of our students onto the buses (after we purchased the chocolate and properly hid it from them) and made our way back to school. My bus ride was filled with the children's chatter and excitement from the factory. I had even asked them their favorite parts which unsurprisingly mostly consisted of watching the workers make the chocolate. When we finally pull up to the school again, I see parents of some of my students already here waiting to pick them up._

* * *

After finally fully surrendering my scarf to Lucy, I somehow manage to pull the red sheet and comforter out from under her and get her tucked in. She rolls over with my scarf still tight in her grasp as she mumbles, "gotta hide it... where..."

I chuckle softly as I imagine the dream she must be having, lean down and kiss her forehead before I head back down to the den to get some sleep myself.

* * *

 _After about a half hour, most of the parents have picked their children up from school, but Cana is still waiting for one of her students to be picked up, and I know who it is just by the blonde hair and sad look that almost always seems to be on his face._

 _"Hey, Cana! If you want, I can wait with August for someone to pick him up," I offer with a smile._

 _"Oh, what a great idea Lucy. Thanks!" Cana replies almost immediately._

 _I walk over to where the two of them are standing, crouch down to August's level, wave a goodbye up at Cana as she walks away, then ask him "hey kid, what's with the long face?"_

 _With a heavy sigh, August says, "Oh, hi Aunt Lucy. Nothing really, I wish my mom could take me home from school just once this week. I know she's here all the time, but I almost never see her at home during the week because she leaves early in the morning and comes home really late at night. I miss her," he sniffles._

 _"Awww," I coo as I pull him into a side hug for a little while until I get an idea._

 _"Hey, August."_

 _He looks up at me._

 _"Did Miss Alberona give you your little gift from the trip yet?"_

 _He nods._

 _"Well, did she tell you that you're actually getting two?" I ask._

 _His eyes grow three times their normal size as his jaw drops and he shakes his head 'no.'_

 _"Really?! I'm getting two?" August asks, awestruck._

 _I giggle as I nod, "yeah, we got one for all of our students but we also got one for your mom as a surprise. She couldn't eat the whole thing by herself, no matter how much she may love chocolate. I'm sure she would love to share it with you."_

 _He starts fidgeting with excitement before I say "BUT," which makes him stop._

 _"But what?" August asks.  
_

 _"You can't spoil the surprise," I tell him which makes his shoulders deflate for a moment before he smiles and nods in agreement._

 _"Good," I smile back at him before I hear the faint sound of footsteps coming our way._

 _I look over to the sound as August gasps with excitement shouting, "MOMMY!"_

 _I see Mavis bend down as August runs into her arms, ecstatic that she came. I walk over to them, smiling as Mavis giggles at her son's enthusiasm as he tells her all about our day at the factory._

 _"Uhh, hey, Mavis," I greet her, surprised._

 _"Oh, Hey Lucy. How was the field trip? Was it really as fun as he says?"_

 _I nod with a wide smile on my face, "it really was. He wasn't exaggerating. We got to see the entire factory, see how they make their chocolate and Cana and I even splurged a little bit and treated all the children to little chocolate figurines because they were so well behaved during the trip. But the odd thing is, the little chocolates look a lot like the students," I explain._

 _"Oh, that sounds like a lot of fun and what a coincidence!" Mavis responds, a little surprised._

 _I nod, "yeah, and Cana and I, even though she went inside, got you something."_

 _"Oh?" Mavis asks raising an eyebrow.  
_

 _"Mmmmhm!" August says excitedly smiling and nodding his head._

 _I go inside the school, retrieve Cana and with her, we manage to carry the giant chocolate surprise out of the school for Mavis. When we put it down in front of her, I see her eyes light up and her jaw drop._

 _"Surprise!" Cana and I cheer in unison.  
_

 _"Awwww! You guys are the best!" Mavis shouts as she gives us a big group hug._

*.*.*.*.*.*

I open my eyes and jump when I hear something fall just outside my room.

"What? What was that?"


	38. Chapter 38

I open my eyes and jump when I hear something seem to fall outside my room.

"What? What was that? What time is it anyway?"

I sit up and look around for a few moments, hoping to see if I can find my phone somewhere but all I can see is darkness.

"How did I even get here?"

The last thing I remember was watching television with Natsu in his den and now I'm in his room. Not only that, I'm in his bed, under his covers with his scarf wrapped around my neck. Did he do that?

Knowing him, he probably did.

I shake my head and gasp when I remember why I woke up. "Natsu!"

I have to see if he's alright. I hope he didn't hurt himself.

I quietly make my way to the door, trying not to wake Plue who is snoring in the bed next to me and open it. I look back at him and smile, relieved that he's sleeping peacefully considering what happened to us. I close the door behind me once I make my way out and tiptoe down the few steps the Dragneels have in their house that lead to the den.

* * *

"Hey, Natsu?," I hear someone whisper down to me from the top of the stairs.

"Yeah?" I reply drowsily as I open my eyes to see who I'm talking to.

I yawn as her figure comes into focus, "Oh, what's up Luce?"

"Are you okay?" she asks, concerned.

I nod, a little confused, "Yeah, why?"

"Well, I heard a pretty big 'thud' from out here. It was so loud that it actually woke me up," she giggles. "That, and you're on the floor," she says in a more serious tone.

I look down at what I previously assumed was the couch and realize, "oh, you're right," as I laugh and pick myself up off the floor.

"I must have rolled off the couch in my sleep," I explain, still a little sleepy.

"And you didn't wake up from that drop? Man, you are one heavy sleeper," she observes.

"Yeah, my parents say that if a bomb were to go off nearby, I wouldn't even hear it since I sleep so heavily," I joke.

Lucy smiles slightly as she sits next to me on the couch. She leans her head on my shoulder and sighs.

"'s something botherin' you, Luce?" I ask. I feel her nod but she doesn't say anything right away.

"I'm scared," she admits after a long silence.

"Why, because of what happened with your father?"

"Yeah... what if it happens again? What am I gonna do, Natsu?" she asks as she looks me in the eyes.

* * *

He folds his arms across his chest and scrunches up his face as he thinks. He's thinking so hard I can almost smell the wood burning in his brain.

"If you want, me and my dad could go teach him a lesson," Natsu suggests with a fire burning in his eyes.

"Yeah, but I don't want either you or your father to go to jail, and he still is my father. Even though it doesn't feel like it most of the time. Anyway," I shake my head. "Got any other ideas?"

"Hmmmm, well you could always move out," he suggests after a few minutes.

"Where would I go?"

"Right here!" He offers with a wide grin.

"I couldn't do that to your family. I don't want to be a burden," I reason.

"What about Levy? She lives alone. You could room with her," he suggests.

"She lives alone? What about her parents?"

"They passed when she was younger. She wasn't doing well for a while but she slowly recovered and now she has her own little apartment nearby."

"Huh, I feel bad about her parents but maybe I'll talk to her about it the next time I don't feel comfortable at my own house. That sounds like a great idea."

I yawn since my mind is at ease once again and my consciousness starts fading.

"Come on, Luce. Let's get you back to bed," I hear Natsu say. I shake my head no but feel myself being lifted off the ground as I fade out once more.

 ***.*.*.*.*.***

 _I feel a calming breeze blow through my hair and clothes. I open my eyes and see nothing but blue sky in front of me with little puffy clouds and cherry blossom petals floating by. I sit up and look around at the fields of gold surrounding me, wondering where I am and whether or not the war and events that I recently experienced were all just a dream._

 _I look at the back of my right hand and smile, relieved and happy that I still have my guild mark there._

 _It must have been a dream, then... or a nightmare. That's the only explanation. I stand up and look around the area, wandering around for a few moments but all I see are golden plains for miles. That is until I hear a familiar voice call my name._

 _"Oi! Lucy!" the voice shouts. I turn around and see a bunch of shadowy figures that all look very familiar to me._

 _"Come on! Get over here!" the voice commands me._

 _I stand still with my eyes wide and mouth slightly open, surprised that they're over there. My friends: they're all alive._

 _"We're all here waiting for you!" another voice tells me. Oh, Happy._

 _I feel tears of joy start to form in my eyes but I don't want to move. What if it's all just an illusion and they're not there?_

 _Natsu makes his way through the fields and holds out his left hand to me as he says, "come on Lucy! What are you standin' around here for? We still have tons of adventures to go on!"  
_

 _I blink some of the tears away and smile, "yeah, okay! Let's go!"  
_

 _I place my hand in his and he doesn't fade away. This is real. I am so happy that this is all real._

 _He curls his fingers around my hand and we dash off together through the fields, into the afternoon sun, towards the rest of our friends as my face flushes slightly and happy tears fall from my eyes._

 ***.*.*.*.*.*  
**

* * *

It's been a few hours since I once again moved Lucy back to my bed. However, this time she wouldn't let me go. She gripped onto the bottom of my shirt like her life depended on it and I felt bad about leaving her alone the first time, so I didn't want to do that again.

Long story short, I ended up staying in my room with her and falling asleep, holding her close.

But now, it's time to get up since both Happy and Plue are awake and the sun is shining very brightly through my bedroom window.

"Natsu..." I hear my name mumbled as Lucy nuzzles my chest and squeezes my body in her sleep. I squeeze her softly in return and when I look down at her, I notice the tear stains on her face and my t-shirt.

I wipe the tears from her cheeks with my thumb and shake her gently.

"Lucy," I whisper shaking her a little harder.

"Luce, it's time to wake up," I tell her as quietly as I can.

Her eyelids flutter open after a few seconds and she yawns, "g'morning," while rubbing her eyes.

"Hey, you okay Lucy?" I ask her as she sits up.

She nods, "yeah, why?"

"Well, 'cause you were cryin' in your sleep again," I explain.

"Oh, I was?" she asks, not sounding so surprised.

I nod, "do you know why?"

"Yeah, I do," she smiles.

"Can you share it with me or is it something you wanna keep to yourself?"

"No, I'll share it with you," she smiles again.

She thinks for a little while and then says, "I now know what it feels like to lose someone you love, thinking you've lost them forever, only to find them again and realize you never really lost them in the first place."

* * *

"... eh?!" Natsu asks very confusedly.

I then explain my dream to him, adding in that it felt like he and all of my other friends were just gone and I was the only one left in the world until I heard his voice seemingly from out of nowhere. I explain to him that I was actually crying tears of joy and happiness rather than sadness.

"Oh, well then that's good," he smiles.

I lean my face into his chest and his shirt muffles, "I don't want to lose you, Natsu. You're one of my best friends and my boyfriend and I love you."

"I love you too, Luce," he says as he rests his head on top of mine, wrapping an arm around my waist.

"And don't worry," he adds, removing his chin from the top of my head and using his free hand to lift my chin up. He leans in close, whispering "I'm not going anywhere. I promise," right before he places a gentle kiss on my lips.

I smile into the kiss, as my arms snake their way around his neck and my hands tangle themselves in his spiky pink hair.

 *****.***.***.*****

The kiss breaks after some time and he and I work out a way to explain why I'm here to his parents.

"Why don't I just tell them the truth? They'd understand. Plus, they can see what happened to Plue," he explains.

"Yeah, I guess you're right, Natsu. Let's go and get this over with."

I walk over to the bed on the opposite side of the room and give Plue a few love pats on his head. I let him lick my face and hand happily for a few minutes until Natsu says we should head down to the kitchen.

'I am SO not ready for this' I think as we make our way down the stairs.

When Natsu and I talked, he suggested that he go talk to them first which I completely agree with since they're _his_ parents.

* * *

"Morning everyone!" I say to my family as I walk into the kitchen and grab the orange juice carton, then take a huge gulp.

"Good morning, Natsu! How'd you guys sleep?" my dad asks me, causing me to choke, nearly spit take and cough up some OJ.

"Uhhhh... 'you guys'?" I ask nervously.

"Yeah, you and your little party of four that ended up in your room last night," he chuckles.

"Uhhh, p-party?" I stutter, "what party? It was just me and Happy last night," I laugh nervously.

Dad laughs loudly, almost like Santa then shouts, "Hey Lucy! Come on down and get some breakfast, we won't bite!"

I feel the blood drain from my face as my dad leans in close to my ear, whispering "you left your door open last night."

"I-I did?" I manage to let out, "heheh... oops. Uhhhh, am I in trouble?"

I scratch the back of my neck and give my dad a sheepish smile. He laughs at me and shakes his head, "no, I'm just teasing you, son."

I breathe a sigh of relief as Lucy enters the kitchen and pulls up a chair. Then, all five of us sit down and enjoy breakfast.

* * *

"Oh, Natsu!" I shout, remembering something I wanted to tell him.

He raises an eyebrow as he stuffs his face with pancakes and bacon.

I roll my eyes at him, then say "I wanted to ask you if I could keep Plue here for a while, at least until his leg heals. I just don't feel like it's safe for him at my house anymore... not after what my father and Virgo put him through."

"Uhhh..." I add, "th-that is if you guys are okay with it," I say alternating my gaze between Igneel and Grandeeney.

I shut my eyes, cross my fingers under the table and pray they say "of course, my dear! I don't see why not." I open my eyes immediately after those exact words leave Igneel's mouth and sigh a thank you.

Then, I get up and hug them both gratefully before finishing my breakfast.

"And please don't worry about him. It'll only be a little while anyway since I plan on finding my own place to live thanks to Natsu's suggestion," I justify without really needing to.

Grandeeney chuckles softly, "don't worry, Lucy. We will take good care of him. You're family to us, so we'll help you take care of yours. Take all the time you need, dear."

I smile to myself knowing there is a loving family that I can turn to whenever I need to.


	39. Chapter 39

A little while later, after Wendy finally joins us and she gives me a suffocating hug, we all finish eating breakfast. Then, I gather my belongings from Natsu's room and also say goodbye to Plue before I head home and shower.

'I have to say something to him,' I think to myself as I'm walking home. 'He can't do that to my dog for no reason and get away with it.'

I come up my long driveway about fifteen minutes later and pause halfway to take a deep breath before I face the hell that is my father... if he's even home. I stand and watch for a few minutes as the groundskeepers move about doing their work before I continue heading inside.

When I get to the front door, I open it quietly as I try not to let anyone in the house know I'm home but knowing my father, he already knows I'm here.

I close the door behind me and make my way through the halls and up to my room to pack a bag for the night. As I'm sifting through the clothes in my drawers and closet, I hear a surprised "Oh! Hello princess. You've returned home" from the hallway.

I turn to Virgo, look at her for a moment, but then get back to packing.

"Miss Lucy?" she asks.

I sigh, frustrated "yes Virgo?"

"You still seem upset. Is there anything I can do to help?" she offers.

"No," I answer her simply, adding in "you've done enough already," in a quiet mumble to myself.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she says sadly.

I hear her walk away before she comes back, "oh, your father would like to speak with you. He's in his study."

She walks away slower this time as I let out a sigh of relief.

I didn't want to talk to her right away. I'm still pissed about what she did to Plue but now I have to go talk to my father and I am not excited about that. I _know_ he's going to lecture me about something stupid like he always does. I just know it.

Once I'm done packing my bag with all of my clothes and toiletries, I lie down on my back across my bed, let out a loud groan and rub my eyes for a few seconds, as I still try and figure out what to say to my father. Then I sit up and huff before I head down the hall to his study.

* * *

After Lucy left, Wendy and I (but mostly Wendy) helped my parents clean up the kitchen and do our fair share of chores around the house so they could leave in a few hours knowing there wasn't going to be that much for them to do when they come back home tomorrow afternoon.

Wendy did the laundry while I vacuumed and took the garbage out. Surprisingly, there was a LOT of garbage. Who knew a family of four could create so much garbage in just a few days?

As soon as I came back in the house from the garbage cans out back, my parents were already saying their goodbyes to Wendy and telling her to not stay up too late and to call if she needs them.

"She'll be fine," I reassure them as I walk in the room mid-conversation.

"She's a big girl, don't worry. And besides, I'm here _and_ Lucy will be back in a little bit. You have nothing to worry about," I give them a huge, toothy grin.

My mom gives me a skeptical look before saying, "well alright, we'll see you two tomorrow afternoon" as she gives me a bone-crushing hug and my dad ruffles my hair and pats my back, hard.

I smile and wave at them from the driveway while they back out before going back inside to watch some anime with Wendy as we wait for Lucy to come back.

* * *

"I should have sent you away to boarding school with your cousin Michelle when I had the chance all those years ago!"

I storm out of my father's study before he even finishes speaking. I furiously slam my bedroom and bathroom door before yanking the handle of the shower head on. I strip off my clothes as quickly as possible, and then once the water is at the right temperature, I step in and close the shower door behind me.

"UGH!" I groan frustrated as the warm water trickles down my body.

I grab my shampoo bottle and squirt some into my hand as I yell "some days he just makes me want to pull my hair out!"

 _I knock on my father's study door and hear his low voice say, "come in, Lucy."_

 _I open the door and look down at the ground since it looks a lot better than the person who summoned me._

 _I sigh as I look up hesitantly at my father's face. When I do see his whole face, I notice he has a few scratches on his left cheek, just under his eye from when I can assume Plue tried to defend himself yesterday._

 _'Way to go, Plue!' I mentally cheer as my father scowls at me._

 _"Wipe that smirk off your face!" he shouts, making me jump._

 _I blink a few times, surprised at my father for raising his voice at me so soon._

 _"I am not happy with you, young lady!" he yells again._

 _"Uhhh..." I say, dumbfounded, "why?"_

 _"I should have never let your mother get that stupid dog for you right before she died. That was one of the biggest mistakes I ever made. Because of that dog, I am going to look like crap all week at my meetings!"_

 _"WHAT?! Don't bring Mom into this! Plue has always been a loyal and loving dog to me. He probably scratched your face because you provoked him. He is a gentle little fluff ball who would never hurt a fly. It's probably your fault. You must have said something to him that made him angry and_ that's _why he scratched you."_

 _"What did I say about talking back to me, Missy!" he scolds._

 _With tears threatening to fall, I make the decision to flee._

I can't believe he brought up Mom. What a jerk!

I chuckle to myself and think 'maybe I should let Natsu and Igneel teach him a lesson', as the water rushes down my body, rinsing the soap off.

He does deserve it.

When I'm finally calmed down enough and my skin and hair are fully rinsed, I turn the water off and step out of the shower, grabbing a towel from the rack and wrapping it tightly around my dripping body.

I open my bathroom door to go get something to wear to Natsu's when I see Virgo inspecting my packed bag.

"What're you doing?" I ask her nervously.

"Putting your stuff away, Princess," she says as if nothing happened between us an hour ago.

"Why?!" I ask, now a little annoyed.

"Because you have clothes in this bag here and your father isn't permitting you to go anywhere tonight since you were out all night last night," she says still putting my clothes away.

"But I'm supposed to be babysitting tonight. The family is expecting me to be there in a little bit. Please stop doing that, Virgo!" I beg her.

She pauses and looks at me for a moment, a rare frown briefly appearing on her face before it returns to her normal straight-faced business-like expression.

She sighs holding up what's left in my bag, "and you needed all of this to babysit tonight?"

"Yes! The parents are going away to a friends house for the night. They should be back tomorrow afternoon," I explain.

"Very well, Princess. My apologies. Here," she says holding out my bag to me after a few minutes of silence.

I take it, repack it and then get dressed, dry my hair and head back out to Natsu's house.

* * *

I can't help but glance at the clock every few minutes. I thought Lucy'd be back by now. All she said she had to do at home was shower and pack a bag for the night. What's taking her so long?!

As if on cue, I feel my phone vibrate a few times in my pocket meaning someone's calling me. I pull it out and see that it's Lucy.

"Hey, Luce!" I answer. "What's up? 're ya on your way over?"

"Yeah, finally," she sighs. "I was almost grounded because of the shit he pulled last night."

"What?!"

"I'll explain it in a bit. See ya soon."

"Uhhhh, okay."

She hangs up and I'm left waiting with Wendy again.

"Hey, you okay?" Wendy asks when she comes back from the kitchen.

I nod, "yeah, I think so. Lucy's on her way back over. She should be here soon."

Her face lights up with a wide smile, "That's great! But then why do you look so troubled?" she asks as she scooches closer to me on the couch.

"I- Lucy's been having problems with her father ever since she was little and her mom passed. Uhhh, I think it would be better if she explained it to you," I confess.

"I don't want to tell you the wrong thing and then get yelled at by Luce. I'm not sure if she even will want to share that tonight," I say, shaking my head.

"Oh... alright. I understand," Wendy smiles warmly at me, then gives me a side hug.

I smile back at her for a moment, then hear a knock at the door.

"I think that's Lucy. Let's go," I gesture at Wendy to follow me and we go open the front door.

* * *

Natsu and Wendy greet me at the door, they each give me a hug and then let me go up to his room so I can drop my bag off and say hello to my cutie, Plue. I pet his head and back before showing him that I brought his favorite toys. When I come back down a few minutes later, I sit next to Natsu on the couch.

"So what happened?" he asks me after I sit with him a while.

"I think I'm really starting to hate my father," I admit.

The two of them look at me shocked.

"Basically as soon as I walked in the door and Virgo saw me, I was immediately 'summoned' to his study through Virgo to start off with so that already annoyed me. And then to make it even worse, he starts shouting at me about my mom and Plue and when I tried to defend Plue, he scolded me for talking back to him. And _then_ ,-"

"WHOA, WHOA, WHOA, Lucy! Ever hear of breathing?!"

"Yeah, calm down, take a deep breath and slow down," Natsu and Wendy instruct me almost simultaneously. I take their advice and slow down as I continue.

"Like I was saying after he scolded me for trying to defend Plue and my mom, he shouts at me that he should have sent me away to boarding school with my cousin Michelle when he had the chance to after my mom passed. I was so furious with him at that point, I just left the study and did what I came home to do in the first place."

"Wow," Wendy says. "Natsu said your relationship with your father wasn't that great but I didn't know it was this bad."

I nod frowning, "yep. It's pretty bad."

Natsu pulls me into a hug and I relax taking in his wonderful aroma of firewood and ash.

* * *

After dinner and a few hours of watching mindless television with Wendy and her friend Sherria who she invited over for the night, it seems Lucy has passed out on me once again with her head in my lap and her golden blonde hair draped over the front edge of the couch cushion. I can't help but laugh to myself since this is now the third time she has fallen asleep on me this weekend.

I don't mind, though. She's had it rough these past few days so I can understand how draining it must be.

Sherria and Wendy went up to do their own thing in her room after the three of us finally heard from our parents since they left this afternoon. They made it to their friends' house and were having a great time which is all I need to know for now.


	40. Chapter 40

I guess I should try and get Lucy upstairs for the third time in the past couple of days. I lift her head from my lap without trying to wake her and carefully stand up before I turn around and scoop her up in my arms once more. She wraps her arms around my waist unconsciously as I'm heading up the stairs to my room. I open my bedroom door, see that Plue and Happy are sleeping peacefully together on Zeref's bed, smile and shake my head at how funny and unusual that sight is. But then again, Happy is more like a dog than a cat, so maybe it isn't really all that odd seeing them asleep almost on top of each other like that.

I pull back the red covers on my bed, gently lay Lucy down on the far side and then get in next to her after I see she's all settled in.

* * *

 ***.*.*.*.*.***

 _Natsu, Erza, Gray and myself are all on our way back to Fairy Tail from our most recent mission. We all talk about the mission and joke around laughing until we start to notice people staring at us and whispering about us as we make our way closer to the guild. When it finally comes into view, we immediately notice something... or someone attacked it while we were gone._

 _When we get closer, all we feel is sadness, anger, and disbelief as we stare at what once was our guild hall._

 _"What happened? Who would do this?!" Erza asks as Natsu growls furiously with his hands balled into fists_

 _From behind us, we hear Mira say "it was Phantom. Phantom destroyed our guild hall."_

 _"Phantom did this?!" Natsu asks angrily._

 _Mira nods sadly, "we couldn't do anything to stop them. They got us good."_

 _She takes the five of us inside and downstairs to the basement of Fairy Tail, where everyone is moping around or drinking away their sorrows._

 _When Mira takes us to see Master Makarov, we find him sitting on a makeshift table made out of a crate, beer mug in hand and his mind is completely gone to the world. He's so drunk he's not even showing how much this attack has hurt him. And when Erza and Natsu try to talk some sense into him, he blows them off, telling them not to get worked up over it._

 _"It's not like it's the end of the world," he slurs._

 _He takes another gulp, then says "Phantom, huh? Those morons. If they were trying to prove their strength, they didn't do a very good job of it. They attacked the guild when no one was here. Does that really prove anything?"_

 _"What? The guild was empty?!" Erza says in disbelief._

 _"Yeah," Mira answers, "apparently everyone had already gone home for the night by the time Phantom attacked."_

 _"Well that's a relief," Erza sighs, "_ _no one was hurt during the attack."_

 _Master responds, "There's no point in making ourselves crazy worrying about people who are too afraid to face us head-on. Just forget about 'em!"_

 _Natsu slams his fist into a nearby crate in protest as he shouts "that ain't happenin' gramps! I won't be satisfied until we destroy them for what they've done!"_

 _"That's enough, my boy," Makarov attempts to calm Natsu down._

 _"For now, we'll handle job requests from down here until the upstairs is fully repaired," he explains._

 _"Really? Jobs?! Who can think about taking jobs at a time like this!" Natsu yells._

 _"That's enough outta you, Natsu!" Master scolds as he... spanks me in the butt._

 _I'm not sure if he meant it or not, but he giggles as Mira scolds him, jumps off the crate and just walks away._

* * *

I'm listening to my music for a little bit when I look to my right and see Lucy roll over towards me and mumble, "why'd you spank _my_ butt?"

I laugh to myself as Plue and Happy both open their eyes and look at me like I've gone insane. I swear if they could talk, they'd tell me exactly that.

* * *

 _Later that night, I'm walking home from the guild with Plue walking next to me and my luggage right behind me as the men on the river tell me to be careful while I'm walking along the edge of the riverbank. Normally I would respond to them with an 'I will' or a smile and a wave but I'm too preoccupied to do anything except talk about Phantom Lord with Plue._

 _"Phantom Lord and Fairy Tail sure have some rivalry, huh Plue?"_

 _He agrees in his usual way, skipping along beside me._

 _"I never knew it was this bad. I honestly even thought about joining them before I ran into Natsu and Happy. Their reputation for being reckless is almost just as bad as Fairy Tail's. Now, don't get me wrong Plue. I love Fairy Tail. It's like family to me," I tell Plue as I open the door to my apartment and find the ENTIRE team in my living room._

 _"There are WAAAAAY too many people in this room!" I shout, annoyed as I slam Natsu with my suitcase._

 _"What the hell are you guys doing here anyway?!" I yell, demanding an explanation._

 _"It's about Phantom," Erza explains, "since they've attacked our guild, they are probably still in town and probably know where everyone lives by now."_

 _"Yeah, Mira thought it would be best if we stick together that way nobody gets attacked so easily," Gray adds._

 _"Oh, okay," I shrug my shoulders, "I guess that makes sense."_

 _"It was decided that the boys would stay here with you and since you'd be the only female in the apartment, I thought I'd come and stay too in order to control these two," Erza says gesturing to Natsu and Gray._

 _After a while, I notice the three of them have no sense of privacy. Although, to be honest, I expected it from Gray but when both he and Erza want to start reading my unfinished novel, that's where I draw the line._

* * *

Lucy rolls over once more, saying "No, Gray! Levy's supposed to read that... too bad."

She always cracks me up in her sleep.

* * *

 _Shortly after Erza and I wash up for the night, I start to wonder why Phantom would just start attacking us randomly like that and I ask Erza about it. It turns out she has no idea. Natsu think's Makarov is too much of a wuss to confront Phantom's leader but Gray doubts it and Erza corrects him and says that he's one of the ten strongest wizards in the whole kingdom. Gray says that the master and Mira are trying to avoid conflict within the magic world. It's not worth going to war over if nobody got hurt, to begin with._

 _Early the next morning, as we're making our way from my apartment to the guild, the four of us pass by Magnolia Southgate Park and see a small crowd surrounding the big tree in the center. As we get closer to the crowd, we hear chatter about Fairy Tail and then see what they're talking about a moment later._

 _"Make way!" Erza commands, "We're from their guild! Please let us through."_

 _It's worse than we expected. It appears that Team Shadow Gear was attacked last night while they were out. At the moment, Levy, Jet, and Droy are all unconscious, disheveled, beaten, and chained to the trunk of the tree. The worst part is, we know it was Phantom Lord. They left their mark on Levy's exposed midriff._

 _Natsu's just about ready to explode right now, while Erza, Gray and_ myself _are all worried about our injured friends._

 _Moments later, Natsu is still fuming and I see Master Makarov walk up behind him. Makarov said he was letting the ruined guild hall go, but when another guild hurts his 'children,' as he calls us, then he must take revenge and declare war. And let me just say that Makarov is SCARY when he's angry._

 _Later on, I find myself at Magnolia Hospital watching over the injured team while the rest of the guild goes off to fight for their friends. While I'm sitting in the hospital room with the three, I wonder how someone could be so heartless and do this to us and it causes me to reflect on my own relationship with Levy._

"Hey, Lu! I heard you're writing a novel! Is that true?!" a blue-haired girl says excitedly as she sits next to me one day in the guild.

"Uhhh, Lu?" I look at her confused, "sorry, do I know you?" I question.

"Oh, my apologies! I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Levy McGarden. I'm seventeen years old. Oh, and that's Jet and Droy," she says gesturing to the two guys behind her. We make up Team Shadow Gear. Anyway, I'm not that great of a writer but I love to read," she explains joyfully.

"Do you think I could read your novel?" She asks with big, pleading eyes.

"Well, I wasn't really planning on others reading it yet."

"Awww come on, Lucy, please?"

"But I'm not even finished writing it yet." I say trying to get out of her reading it.

"Well, when you finish I want to be the FIRST one to read it. You promise, Lucy?" she smiles.

"Uhhhhh, sure!" I give in hesitantly. Maybe this won't be so bad. Since she seems nice, and she does love books, I think it's safe to assume she'd be nice about her criticism.

 _And she worked so hard the other day to help us with that mission. I just can't forgive Phantom Lord for what they've done to us._

 _"They're gonna pay for what they've done," I whisper as I feel the tears fall._

 _When I go back to the guild hall (or what's left of it, anyway) I hear from Mira that everyone else went to go storm Phantom Lord's branch in Oak Town._

 _It's more of a tower than a guild hall, honestly. I've seen it the last time I was in that town. It's so tall it's kinda hard to miss._

 _Anyway, I just can't believe they went without me! But Levy and the boys do need someone to look after them so I guess that'll be what I do._

 _Suddenly out of nowhere while I'm walking home, it starts to rain, and by rain I mean pour. And it's weird because the sun is still out. Like, I've heard of a sun-shower but this is WAY worse than just a sun-shower. Then I see a blue-haired girl in a blue overcoat, matching hat, and little white ghost pinned to the front of the coat at her neckline slowly walk up to me as she says repeatedly, "drip, drip, drop."_

 _"Who are you?" I ask the mysterious woman._

 _"Juvia is the rain woman. It's always with me. Drip, drip, drop."_

 _Then, she walks past me. But a few moments later, when I think I'm finally alone again, there's this weirdo French dude that comes out of the ground. He calls himself Sol. He also introduces the 'rain woman' as Juvia, and they say they are part of the Element 4, the most elite and powerful of the Phantom Lord wizards. They tell me that I am their target and that I am supposed to go back with them to their guild. I drop my things immediately and reach for my keys once I realize they were the ones that destroyed the guild, but before I can summon someone to help me, I get trapped in a water bubble, or 'Water Lock' as that water woman called it. That's the last thing I remember from my walk home._


	41. Chapter 41

I'm getting really worried about Lucy. She's been tossing and turning all night and she keeps mumbling random things in her sleep. I guess she just gets like this when something really bothers her. It's entertaining, listening to what she says but it's also nerve-wracking because it's Lucy and I care about her and this also isn't the first time she's woken me up in the middle of the night, mumbling.

* * *

 _The last thing I remember is struggling in that bubble made by Juvia's water magic. When I open my eyes a little while later, I find myself on a cold, cobblestone floor. I sit up rather quickly, trying to take in my surroundings as fast as possible, while also wondering where the hell I am._

 _"What the…?" I say as I realize my wrists are bound and I'm locked in some type of jail cell._

 _"Where am I? How did I even get here?" I wonder out loud._

 _Right after I speak, I hear a voice behind me as a man magically materializes out of nowhere._

 _"Ah, I see you're finally awake, Lucy. Or should I say, Miss Heartfilia? I was beginning to worry about you." I can see the smirk on his face through the barred window. But right now, that's about the only thing I can see of his._

 _"Who are you?!"_

 _He immediately opens the door of my cell and I see a tall, slender man with a large, floppy purple hat and purple cape with strange, bat-like wings to match. He introduces himself as Master Jose Porla of the Phantom Lord guild._

 _I gasp, "Phantom?!"_

 _Then I remember how I got here. Two of_ _Phantom's Element Four captured me and then I blacked out._

 _I accuse them of hurting my friends and warn them that the rest of my guild will be back to find me. He ignores my outburst and decides to talk about my living conditions while I'm imprisoned here._ _When Jose seemingly offers me a nicer place to stay while I'm here, I decline immediately, choosing my pride over comfort and distance from creepy bugs that try to crawl up my leg._

 _Ignoring his bribes of comfort, I get straight down to business and ask him "why do you and your guild keep attacking us, anyway?!"_

 _"Us?" he questions, "Oh, you must be talking about Fairy Tail, yes?"  
_

 _With a wicked grin on his face, he says, "that was merely a diversion- a means to an end."  
_

 _"What?!" I ask, confused._

 _"Our main goal was to acquire a certain individual that just so happened to be a member of Fairy Tail. If we had to destroy the guild hall to get them, then that's what we'd do," he explains._

 _"'A certain individual'? Who are you talking about?"_

 _"Oh, my, my... how naïve you are. Definitely not what I'd expect from the daughter of the Heartfilia family. I'm referring to you, of course: Lady Lucy Heartfillia."_

 _"H- how did you find out about that?"_

 _"It appears you never told your fellow guild members the truth, although I can't imagine why. It doesn't make sense; why would the daughter of a wealthy tycoon like Heartfillia stoop as low as going on cheap and dangerous jobs for such a low-class guild like Fairy Tail," he berates._

 _"Are you saying you've taken me hostage?!"_

 _"No, not at all. We were simply hired to do a job. The man who hired us to bring you here was none other than your father, Jude Heartfillia, to bring you home."_

 _I gasp, "no... that's absurd... I don't get it, why would he want me to come back?"_

 _"I think it's completely normal for any father to go looking for his adorable daughter if she ran away from home. Why do you look so confused?," he asks._

 _"Not him. He doesn't care about me like that. Honestly, I'm surprised he even noticed I was gone. I refuse! I will never go back to that house! You might as well just let me leave."_

 _Think, Lucy, think! There has to be a way out of here._

 _"I'm afraid I can't do that," he says._

 _"Please... I need to go to the bathroom."_

 _"Give me a break," he says, "that's the oldest trick in the book. It's not gonna work on me."_

 _"No, please, I mean it. Help a girl out, here," I squirm._

 _"Fine. Here you go," he says placing a bucket in between us._

 _"You've gotta be kidding me, a bucket?!" I shout._

 _I sigh after a second, "I guess this will have to do."_

 _"What?! You're actually gonna use it?!" Jose shouts, surprised._

 _"How vulgar! At least I'll be a gentleman and turn around."_

 _Perfect. I take the opportunity and kick him where the sun doesn't shine, saying "old tricks do come in handy."_

 _Then I walk over to the edge of the window behind me, saying a meaningless goodbye to Jose as he's writhing in pain on the floor._

 _When I reach the edge, I look down and realize how high I really am. I hear a couple of familiar voices in the distance, both of them are VERY upset._

 _"Sorry to disappoint, but this prison is several stories high. There's no way you'd survive that fall," Jose says through clenched teeth._

 _He limps over as I turn around to face him._

 _"Now, come back over here and let me show you how terrifying and cruel Phantom Lord can really be," he threatens._

 _I ignore his empty threats, just lean back and fall out the window._

 _I heard him... in the distance. He may not be that close yet, but I know he's here._

 _"NATSU!" I scream as I'm freefalling._

* * *

"Natsu!" I hear Lucy clearly say as she turns one more time in her sleep.

This surprises me because it was almost like she was shouting something and she hasn't said anything for a while, so I thought she had calmed down.

I wrap my arm around her and pull her close to me since I don't really know what else to do.

"Lucy? Lucy!" I whisper, rubbing my hands up and down her arms trying to wake her up gently.

* * *

 _I keep my eyes shut to protect them from the wind but I hear him yell "LUCY!"_ _A few seconds later I feel arms wrap themselves around me as my head is suddenly buried in something hot._

 ***.*.*.*.*.***

I open my eyes and try to force my body up into a sitting position, but I feel the weight of Natsu's arm and strength holding me down. I look at him and see he's awake and looking very concerned.

"You okay, Lucy?"

I nod.

"Are you sure? You've been tossing and turning and mumbling things all night," he tells me.

Yeah, I think so," I whisper sadly.

He releases me and crosses his arms over his chest, "that doesn't sound convincing."

Then he looks at me again and surprises me by saying, "Hey, you're crying. Why're you upset? You can tell me."

I raise my hand to my face to see what he's talking about and gasp when I realize he's right.

"Oh, I just had a bad dream," I admit quietly, "it was about my father."

* * *

Oh shit. Her father?

"What?! What happened? What'd he do?"

Lucy then briefly explains the dream to me, saying he paid another guild called Phantom Lord to kidnap her and give her back to him, which she refused. She told me that she jumped out the window of her cell and screamed to me before I apparently caught her just seconds later.

"Ya know, it doesn't surprise me that your father did that in your dream. Based on what happened between you two yesterday and today, I can actually imagine him doing something like that... unfortunately," I admit.

I look over at my closet for a second, getting an idea.

"Ya know what? Forget about him for a little while," I tell Lucy, walking over to my closet door.

"Eh? What are you doing, Natsu?" Lucy asks as I open the door.

"I'm giving you a mental distraction," I smirk.

She looks at me puzzled, so I explain, "Whenever I need a distraction from something that's really bothering me, I usually turn to my music. I have a whole book of songs I've written ever since..."

"Ever since what?" she asks.

"Uhhh, nevermind. It wasn't good, let's just put it that way."

"Oh... okay," she whispers.

"Sorry, Luce. Anyway," I deflect, smiling as I strum lightly.

"What? No, don't do that! You're gonna wake the girls next door!" she whisper-shouts at me.

I just ignore her for the moment, shrug my shoulders, stick out my tongue at her, sit down on the floor Indian-style, and start tuning my guitar. Once it's tuned, I just start strumming and eventually I start playing the first chords of that song I wrote for Lucy a while ago.

I could do that one. It's been finished for a while now, and I think she'd like it. She's never actually heard it, but she's told me she wants to hear me sing it... Or rather, she wanted to hear Salamander sing it.

* * *

When Natsu starts strumming and messing around on his guitar, all I can think about is 'what if he wakes Wendy?'

However, shortly after that thought comes to mind, it leaves. He smiles at me warmly. Why? I don't know. Sometimes, I wish I could read his mind... wait, now that I think about it, that's probably a bad idea. I shiver at the thought of what could possibly be going through his mind.

He laughs at me, shakes his head, grabs my hand and pulls me off the bed and right next to him on the floor. Then, he places my left hand on the neck of the guitar where his would be and places my fingers so that when he strums, a chord would play.

"Here," Natsu says leaving my left hand where it is on the guitar and placing said guitar in my lap. He nods at the guitar in my hands, "strum."

I do as he says and hear a soft chord come out of the body of the guitar. I giggle softly to myself, then shake my head embarrassed, before handing the guitar back over to him. He takes it back and strums the same chord I did. Then slowly plucks four notes before looking over, smiling at me and strumming another chord.

He picks up the pace this time, plucking four different notes and then strumming two more different chords. When he does, an odd sense of déjà vu washes over me.

"I feel like I've heard this before," I say to myself as he starts to get a rhythm going.

"You might have... once," he tells me as he looks over his shoulder at the door where, when I look over as well, we see Wendy and Sherria peeking through the crack in the door. He places his hand over the sound hole, stopping the strings from making any noise.

"You guys can come in," Natsu smiles. The girls open the door more and enter, both taking a seat on his bed.

"Now that everyone's here and we don't have to worry about waking anybody up," Natsu says as he looks at me, making me blush.

"Would you ladies like to listen?" he asks all three of us.

We all nod furiously, wide-eyed and with huge grins. This was just what I needed to take my mind off of- no, I'm not even going to mention... him. I'm just going to enjoy this moment for however long it lasts.


	42. Chapter 42

**Hey guys, it's me again. So, there's going to be another song in this chapter like the one from chapter 24. I'm going to do it a little different this time and have the song lyrics in 'Bold' so it's easier to follow along with the story.**

 **If you're a music geek like me and you're curious or you maybe want to listen along while you're reading, the song that Natsu will be singing is Soaring by Todd Haberkorn and it's on SoundCloud. If you don't know, Todd is the English voice of Natsu, hence why I decided to use his songs. Oh, and BTW I forgot to mention this then, but if you didn't know, that song from chapter 24 is called Falling.**

 **So, I realize I'm rambling and I'll cut myself off here, but let me know what you think and I'll see you guys in the next chapter!**

 **Byeeeeee~**

* * *

I walk over to my desk, sit down in my chair with my guitar resting on my thigh, and turn on my computer. Ever since I finished writing this song, I've been messing around with my electric guitar and other instruments like a drum set to keep the beat going and a tiny bit of backing vocals on this really good music software that came with the computer. I think I've got myself a good enough backing track for the moment but I can always change it if I want. Now, if this thing ever stops updating and lets me log in, I can surprise Lucy even more than I originally intended to.

* * *

"Uhhhh Natsu? What are you doing?" I ask curiously as he suddenly gets up off of the floor and walks over to his desk.

"You'll see," he says before turning his computer on and placing his guitar in his lap. He groans, frustrated while he waits impatiently for his computer to stop updating which makes both Wendy and I giggle. He looks over at her suspiciously and then down to me on the floor and the two of us look away as we try to suppress the giggles.

"I can still hear you!" he yells in a teasing kind of way while he logs into his account. I hear him chuckle lowly as he pulls up some weird music file. Then he goes into his desk drawer, which is a disaster by the way and pulls out this notebook that says 'songs that are better than Gajeel's' written in big, black, messy handwriting. Of course, he would write that. He opens his notebook about halfway and then makes these odd, yet comical sound effects with his mouth as he's flipping through the pages, searching.

Once Natsu finds what he's looking for, he presses play and starts strumming his guitar along with the guitar in the file he created. It surprises me that he was able to even make this track, but that thought soon leaves. He plays the first chord, then plucks the next four notes in a very musically random, yet tasteful way. He repeats this another two times: both with different pitches at every pluck, before finishing the whole intro with two more slow chords.

Then, he gets back into that static rhythm he had right before we noticed Wendy and Sherria at the door. He takes a breath, looks over at me, then starts singing.

 **"There's a first time for everything,**  
 **Bein' so young**  
 **Like your first taste of chocolate,**  
 **Or your very first love,"**

'Well, that's Natsu for ya: always thinking about food, no matter what," I whisper to Wendy who then whispers it to Sherria before they both start giggling to themselves.

I see Natsu shake his head and roll his eyes at me for a second but I just smile and tease him as usual. I stick out my tongue in his direction and laugh. He can't do anything about it even if he wanted to (since his hands are currently occupied) which makes it really fun for me!

* * *

'Just you wait, Heartfilia,' I think as I take a breath and get ready for the next line.

* * *

 **"Ridin' on a coaster  
In the sky so high"**

Hold on a sec...

 **"Dark colors behind you**  
 **there's a brightness in your eyes"**

This sounds very familiar.

 **"Partners to be had, you and I"**

Why does this sound so familiar?! Ugh, this is gonna kill me until I figure out where I've heard this before!

 **"In this world all around us  
** **You and I, soaring high"**

* * *

Lucy's eyes suddenly grow to about ten times their original size, reflecting the light from my computer monitor, and at the same time her jaw drops. I think if it could've hit the floor, it probably would've.

Then, by the time I finish the chorus, this weird smile slowly creeps across her face.

 **"Think of the adventures**  
 **All the stories we will find"**

It's one of those smiles where I can't tell if she's really happy with this or if she really wants to kill me deep down...

 **"All the deeds that you do**  
 **All the things that you'll try"**

* * *

"I can't believe he finally finished this," I think out loud.

 **"Wish we could be**  
 **As lucky as the birds**  
 **That fly high above us**  
 **Now is our turn"**

"What'd you say?" Wendy whispers to me.

I mouth the word 'later' to her and she nods, smiling as both of us turn our heads back to focus on her brother.

 **"Partners to be had, you and I**  
 **In this world all around us, you and I,"**

This is amazing. He looks so happy and comfortable with that guitar in hand.

 **"Together we'll discover**  
 **We'll find out what's in store**  
 **Adventures that await us**  
 **What's out there to explore"**

I can feel the muscles in my face starting to hurt from me smiling so much.

 **"A Superhero journey  
We. Will. Be.**  
 **Soaring... Oh so high"**

The guitar of the backing track starts to build now, getting more and more intense with every second.

 **"Sometimes it'll rain as we go through this life**  
 **There are struggles that you'll face on your own"**

I notice both Wendy and Sherria have pulled out their phones to 'secretly' record him while he's singing his heart out... sneaky girls.

 **"But as long as I am breathing**  
 **And smiling next to you**  
 **I'm your shield, I'm your buddy**  
 **Your ally through and through"**

He nods towards me and winks, making me giggle.

 **"We will be together**  
 **We will be together**  
 **Soaring, oh so high**  
 **Soaring high**  
 **Soaring high"**

It feels like he's speaking directly to me.

 **"You and I**  
 **You and I"**

He's staring right at me... and smiling.

 **"Together we'll discover**  
 **We'll find out what's in store**  
 **Adventures that await us**  
 **What's out there to explore"**

I'm one of the only people he smiles for like this.

 **"Now we will be together**  
 **Until the very end**  
 **A superhero journey"**

He's gotta be...

 **"Just you and I**  
 **Just you and I**  
 **We're soaring high**  
 **We're soaring high**  
 **We're soaring**  
 **Yeah, we're soaring oh so high**  
 **Soaring..."**

His recording finishes with a drum beat almost like a march... not quite a marching-band march, but very similar. Either way, it's very catchy and I feel myself tapping my foot and lightly slapping my thighs to the beat.

I see Wendy and Sherria both put their phones down and all three of us cheer and applaud his amazing song. Even Plue barks his approval and starts wagging his tail.

"So..." I start to say as I get up off the floor, "'Soaring', huh?"

"Yeah, how'd ya know?" Natsu asks me, surprised while he gets up out of his chair and walks over to his closet with the neck of his guitar in hand. He opens the door as the girls leave, both going back to Wendy's room.

I shrug my shoulders, "oh, just a lucky guess."

I walk over to where he's standing in front of his closet as he puts his guitar down on the stand it was previously on in his closet. He turns around and smiles at me, which makes me smile in return.

"I can't believe you finally finished it."

"I know, I heard you and Wendy talking," he smirks.

"While you were singing?!" I ask surprised.

He smiles wide.

"Damn, you have good hearing," I admit.

"Yeah," he nods, "I have the hearing of a dragon slayer, right?"

I look at him very confused and he laughs, "don't you remember anything from the dreams you tell me? I'm a dragon slayer in those and apparently, dragon slayers have very good hearing."

Still mildly confused I chuckle, "oh yeah, right... I must have forgotten."

But honestly, I don't remember ever sharing that specific detail with him. I shake it off and go give him a hug anyway.

"Thanks, Natsu. It was great, and it really helped me get my mind off of... _him._ You're the best."

He squeezes me in return and sighs, "what am I gonna do about Wendy?"

"What? What did she do?" I ask.

"She was recordin' me, you saw. What if our friends see that and laugh?"

"I LOVED it, so I don't think they'd laugh at you. In fact, I think Gray would just be jealous," I say trying to comfort him.

"And besides," I add, "I think all she was going to do was show her friends at her school. I doubt she'll show anybody else."

"If you say so Luce," he says suspiciously.

I sigh, "do you want me to go talk to her later?"

Natsu shakes his head, "no, I can talk to her. She's my sister, anyway."

I shrug, "alright. Well then, I'm gonna go back to sleep for a few more hours now if you don't mind."

"Yeah," he yawns, "that's probably a good idea."

 *****.***.***.*****

When I feel the sun on my face the next morning, I open my eyes and smile to myself while recalling last night's events.

I make my way to the kitchen, humming to myself while I make breakfast. It's not as big as Grandeeney normally makes but it should be enough for a 'dragon slayer' as Natsu called himself. I wonder if they really do eat as much as he did when I first met him in my dream. Hmmmm...

"Mornin' Luce," I hear a half-asleep Natsu mumble as he stumbles into the kitchen, with his hair messier than usual. He sits down after grabbing the carton of orange juice and a couple of glasses.

"Hey, here's breakfast," I say giving him a plateful of food with a side of hot sauce (although I feel like it really should be the other way around).

"Thanks!"

I nod and smile at him while preparing plates for Wendy, Sherria and myself. Once the girls come and we all finish eating, I suggest to Natsu that he go talk to Wendy about the recording.

* * *

"Hey, Wendy? Can I come in?" I ask after knocking on her door a few times.

"Yeah, sure!" she shouts back at me.

I open the door and see Wendy and Sherria lying across her bed watching something on her computer and playing with Carla.

She waves me over and says, "look! Look! Look!" while she points towards her screen.

"It's you!" Sherria says excitedly.

"What?" I ask looking at Wendy's computer.

"Yeah! I took a video of your song for Lucy last night so Sherria and I can show our friends the next time we see them. It was REALLY cool, Natsu. I never thought you could write songs like that."

"Huh, really? Well, I guess you learn something new every day."

Honestly, I didn't know I could either. It just came out of me when I put my pencil to the paper.

I think about what I had originally come in here to do, then chuckle to myself at my little sister's excitement and the light in her eyes, ruffle her hair and leave, not wanting to spoil her fun.

When I head back down to the den, I see Luce has brought Plue down and is trying to get him to walk with his cast. He barks happily and hobbles toward me, wagging his tail the entire way.

I laugh, "well, someone's in a good mood," as I'm bending down to rub Plue all over.

"How'd it go with Wendy?" Lucy asks.

"Eh," I shrug my shoulders, "I took the ice princess's advice and let it go."

"I..." Lucy stops and looks up, "see, this is one of those times where I'm not sure if you're referring to Gray or Elsa."

"Aren't they the same person?" I ask her seriously.

She throws her hands up in the air almost like she's giving up. Then she sighs and says "whatever, I'm going in the shower."

I hear her mumble "boys..." as she stomps up the stairs to the bathroom.

While I'm playing with Plue and waiting for Lucy to get out of the shower, I hear my phone 'ding' from the table meaning I have a new message.


	43. Chapter 43

Once I head back up the stairs, I go and grab my bag from Natsu's room which has my clothes, soap, shampoo, and anything else I may need for my shower. Then, I make my way across the hall to their bathroom and turn the water on. While I'm waiting for the water to get hot, I somehow start humming a little bit of Natsu's song while I take off my pajamas from last night and for the moment, make a pile with them on the floor in the corner by the door so I don't get them wet.

"Soaring, oh so high..."

Hey, it's a catchy song!

I check the temperature of the water with my hand and when it's finally at the perfect temperature, I step in and close the shower curtain behind me.

* * *

While I'm playing with Plue and waiting for Lucy to get out of the shower, I hear my phone 'ding' from the table meaning I have a new message. Uh oh... What if Wendy...

 **Stripper:** Yo, tabasco breath

Oh, phew! That's a relief. I was worried that Wendy may have put her video of me online.

 **Me:** Dude u scared the shit outta me.

 **Stripper:** Wut?

 **Me:** Nvm...

 **Me:** Whaddaya want now?

 **Stripper:** U still good for the camping trip next week?

Oh crap. I almost forgot about that.

 **Me:** Uhhhh… yeah.

 **Me:** I'm all good

 **Stripper:** :|

 **Stripper:** U forgot, didn't u?

 **Me:** OI!

 **Me:** I didn't forget

 **Me:** I ALMOST forgot

 **Me:** There's a difference, Gray

 **Stripper:** Tsk

 **Stripper:** Whatever….

 **Stripper:** ANYWAY

 **Stripper:** If Lucy's around next week, why not invite her?

 **Me:** u'd be cool with that?

 **Stripper:** Sure, man!

 **Stripper:** She's part of our friend group now

 **Me:** but what about juvia and jellal?

 **Stripper:** ehh...

 **Stripper:** juvia's not much for camping

 **Stripper:** and I think jellal's going on vacation

 **Stripper:** so it'd just be the three of us anyway

 **Stripper:** and if lucy came it'd give us a break from Erza

 **Me:** yeah true

 **Me:** that does get boring after a while

 **Stripper:** HEY!

 **Stripper:** We're not THAT boring, ya know

 **Me:** lol XP

 **Me:** I'll ask luce and see what she says

 **Me:** she's still here anyway

 **Stripper:** wait, u didn't tell me she was at ur house

 **Stripper:** why is she there?

 **Me:** uhhhh

 **Me:** well she stayed here the other night cause her father upset her

 **Me:** then she stayed over last night to hang out with me and Wendy

 **Stripper:** OH WENDY!

 **Stripper:** bring her along too

 **Stripper:** she's old enough to go camping

 **Stripper:** right?

I shrug to myself and answer Ice Breath with 'I'll ask her' before I put my phone away, reminding myself to ask her (and our parents) when they get home.

* * *

Letting the warm water trickle down my body, I am reminded once again of what Natsu said yesterday.

Maybe I _should_ talk to Levy about moving in with her. I mean, I can only last so much longer under my father's 'care' if you want to call it that. He was almost NEVER around when I was little.

 _"Um, excuse me, Mrs. Spetto?" I ask my current guardian/housemaid._

 _"Yes, my dear Lucy?" she asks as she's pouring me some hot soup._

 _"When is Daddy coming home?"_

 _"I'm sorry, Lucy but I don't know. He's working late again. It'll be way past your bedtime by the time he comes home."_

 _"Awww," I say sadly, "okay..."_

 _Mrs. Spetto smiles back at me sadly, and I try to focus back on my soup as a tear falls down my cheek._

And even if he was around, he never had time for me... not even on my birthday.

 _"Hey Daddy, look! I made you a rice ball with your face on it," I say giggling as I hold up the big ball of rice to show him. It was made of sticky white rice and I had one of the maids cut the nori sheets for me so I could make a face out of them. I think it looks just like him._

 _"You know, mom always said it's not good to work on an empty stomach, so I made it special for you."_

 _I_ _smile proudly, still holding the rice ball out to him._

 _He's got a mountain of papers on his desk and a pen in his hand and when he picks one of the papers up with his free hand, he says "I'm busy right this moment. Come back later."_

 _"Okay," I say, deciding to leave him alone after that but not before I leave the rice ball with him in case he gets hungry._

 _"Hey, ya know today's a special day, right? It's my-"_

 _He stands up abruptly and cuts me off before I can finish my sentence with, "LUCY!"_

 _It scares me and makes me lurch back with fear as I'm trying not to cry._

 _"Don't you ever listen?! I said I'm very busy!" he shouts at me. I toss the rice ball back in fear and it lands somewhere behind me._

 _"I- I'm sorry," I apologize. I turn to walk out of the room but turn as I try and get some type of good affection out of him._

 _"Um... daddy?" I hesitate._

 _"Lucy! You're being such a pest! I don't want to eat your silly rice ball. Our house chef can always make something for me if I'm hungry. If you have time to waste making rice balls, you can get back to your business lessons. Am I clear?_ _" he berates._

 _I don't answer him and he yells "Don't interrupt me again!"_

 _I dash out of his room teary-eyed, whining "but today... today is my birthday!"_

It all started to go downhill after mom died. I have constantly been beaten down and set up with unwanted suitors ever since I was old enough. His biggest rule was 'be seen and not heard,' which I didn't like because I am NOT that kind of a girl.

The only thing that gave me hope was the stories I'd heard from Mrs. Spetto about this far away place with guilds and wizards and magic.

 _"Lady Lucy!" I hear a breathless voice shout behind me as I'm standing outside my carriage._

 _"Mrs. Spetto!" I turn and face the older woman who called my name._

 _"I can't believe you ran away from home again!" She shouts with tears in her eyes._

 _"I'm sorry..." I apologize._

 _"You know your father is busy working! Even if you were to go to his office, you know he-"_

 _"Miss Spetto! What is that symbol?!" I shout with glee as I point to the weird mark on the huge building in the distance._

 _She opens her eyes wide and looks in that same direction and says "oh, that's the symbol for the wizard guild Fairy Tail, dear."_

 _"Fairy Tail, huh?"_

Wait, hold on a sec. Where did all of that come from? I don't know what I was thinking. I never did any of that.

I sigh as I think 'Natsu and his crazy ideas have rubbed off on me too much'. That's the only logical way to explain why I'd recall something that I didn't even do when I was younger.

* * *

"Geez, Luce. Did ya fall asleep in there? How much time can you possibly need for a shower?! I have to take one too, ya know so don't use all the hot water!" I shout through the bathroom door.

* * *

Huh, think of the demon and he shall appear. It's actually kinda funny that he would say that, considering the amount of heat he radiates.

"Just gimme a few more minutes, Natsu! I'm rinsing my hair!" I shout back at him.

I do think it would be fun to room with Levy, though. I hope she won't mind. And hey, it would help her out too if we split rent, although she would have to let me know if and when Gajeel might pop in. Either way, I'm sure we can work it out.

Once I've made my resolve, I quickly rinse the suds off of my body and turn the water off. Then I go to grab a towel so I can wipe myself down, but as I'm reaching for it, I realize that I forgot to get one before my shower.

I whine "Lucy, you idiot. I can't believe I forgot a towel."

I guess there's only one thing to do.

* * *

"Uhhh, hey Natsu?" I hear Lucy ask sheepishly through the door.

"Yeah?" I reply, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry about this, but can you hand me a towel? I didn't know where yours were but I thought I had packed one yesterday before I left home," she starts explaining.

"Well, I guess you forgot, huh Luce."

I hear her sigh through the door, frustrated. "Yeah..."

I can't help but chuckle a bit at Lucy's minor dilemma as I go into the hall closet and grab her a big, fluffy towel. I knock on the bathroom door and pass the towel to Luce through the crack she made when she just barely opened the door wide enough for her hand to stick out.

"Here ya go, Aries," I mumble and she says thanks but gives me a weird look saying "my name's Lucy" as she closes the door.

* * *

Once I close the bathroom door again after retrieving a towel from Natsu, I quickly dry myself off and tie my hair up in the towel so it doesn't drip all over me while I'm getting dressed. When I dig my clothes out of my bag and manage to get dressed, I decide to comb out my hair and just let it air dry for now since Natsu so desperately needs to use the shower.

I make my way to Natsu's room, letting him know that I'm done with my shower and that he can use the bathroom. I don't think I have ever seen a man move as fast as Natsu when he wants to take a shower. For a second, I thought Racer was heading to the bathroom.

In the meantime, while Racer's in the shower, I think I'll go see how Wendy's doing.

 *****.***.***.*****

I hear giggles as soon as I make my way down to the den. I laugh a bit myself at the way the girls have made themselves so comfortable with my little fluff ball. Plue is lying on the floor in front of one of the couches and Wendy is leaning her back against him while Sherria's front is practically draped over the other side of him.

"And what's with all the giggles, ladies?" I ask suspiciously.

They look over at me and gesture for me to come and sit by them on the couch. They show me the video they took of Natsu last night.

"We sent it to all our friends and they LOVED it!" Wendy shouts excitedly.

"Yeah! He was really good! Other people need to know about this," Sherria adds, enthused.

"I agree, girls but I need to think about how to make that possible because you both _know_ he's not going to do it himself," I point out.

"True," Wendy agrees.

"As soon as I come up with an idea, you two will be the first to know," I promise, smiling at the girls.

"Oh, hey can you send me that video, Wendy?"

"Sure!"

"And please try not to crush my dog. He's still recovering," I ask, still smiling.

"We won't!," they shout in unison while Plue barks as I turn to head back upstairs.

When I make it to the top, my phone 'dings' a couple of times notifying me of a few new messages.

 **Levy XD:** Hey, Lu!

 **Levy XD:** Wanna do something later?

 **Me:** Levy!

 **Me:** Can't... working :/

 **Levy XD:** Awww bummer...

 **Levy XD:** Wait!

 **Levy XD:** I'll just come by FT later and hang out with u on ur break

 **Levy XD:** Sound good?

 **Me:** sure, Lev

 **Me:** can't wait!


	44. Chapter 44

**I am SOOOO sorry that I have taken so long in getting back to this story but I did not forget about it! I have just been distracted with life after the holidays and therefore had very little time to focus on writing. I hope you enjoy it and don't hate me too much for keeping you waiting.**

* * *

A few hours later, I hear the front doorknob turn while I'm down in the den with Wendy since Sherria went home about an hour ago.

I hear the door creak open and voices yell "Hellooo! We're home!"

"Hey, guys!" I yell up the stairs to my parents.

I hear my dad come down the stairs as he says "hey, aren't you missing somebody?"

I cock my head to the side in confusion, "who?"

"Uhhhh where are Lucy and Sherria?" he asks.

"Oh, Luce's upstairs in the bathroom (again) and Sherria went home a while ago," I tell him.

His mouth forms an 'O' shape as he nods, understanding.

"So how was your trip?," I ask dad as Lucy and mom come down to the den to join us.

"It was good," he says enthusiastically.

"Yes, we had a lot of fun with our friends Anna and Atlas," my mom says.

"Well, that's good," Lucy smiles, "what'd you guys do?"

"We went to dinner with them and ate like dragon kings," my dad says winking at me.

I laugh but my mom ignores him and continues "then we saw a movie with them after dinner and once the movie was over, all four of us went to Anna's apartment for some drinks."

"Yes, and then after a couple of hours, Atlas said goodbye and went home and we crashed at Anna's for the night," dad says.

"It's been a while since we've done anything like that," mom smiles down at her hands.

* * *

"So how was everything last night, ladies?" Grandeeney asks me and Wendy.

"It was good," Wendy answers.

"Yeah, no complaints here..." Ya know, except for my nightmare.

I smile as best I can at Grandeeney but somehow, as my mother used to, she sees right through it and asks, "what's wrong Lucy?"

I sigh somewhat heavily, ducking my head down, "I..."

She looks at me with a concerned gaze, "honey, don't be shy. Just think of me as... extended family. You can tell me anything."

I smile to myself, thinking of my mother once again before I look back up at Grandeeney and say "I had a nightmare last night..."

"Oh, sweetie..." Grandeeney says, sorrowfully.

I nod before continuing, "I've been having weird dreams lately, and a few of them about your son. The first few I had were just weird but then I had one where there was another me and she died. I thought that was bad- no, horrible- until I found out that Natsu had that dream too. That was freaky and sad... but nothing like the one I had last night."

"Oh?" she asks me curiously.

"Last night was the worst it's ever been. I dreamt my father paid a whole bunch of people to take me back to him- by force if necessary. There were people that I considered friends who got injured because of me... because of my father," I feel a tear start to crawl down my cheek.

"Oh, Lucy, don't cry. It'll get better."

"I'm not sure, Grandeeney. It's strange to me that I can actually see him doing something like that if I decide to run away or even move out. I mean, he's already injured one of my best friends," I gesture to Plue who's chewing on one of his bones.

"It's strange and terrifying at the same time."

I sigh again, "I wish my mom was still here. You remind me so much of her, Grandeeney. Thank you."

* * *

"If you ever need someone to talk to about these kinds of things, don't even hesitate to ask," mom smiles at Lucy.

They hug for a long time before Lucy says "I haven't been able to have this kind of conversation with anyone in my household for a long time... I'm not on the best terms with our... housekeeper, Virgo."

"Maid, Lucy... she's basically your maid," I interject.

She glares at me but then shrugs, saying "actually, he's right."

I smile proudly. Lucy rolls her eyes at me, as per usual.

Sometime after Lucy and my mom finish talking about her... family issues, Wendy excitedly shows our parents the video she took of me performing for Lucy.

"Look, mom! Look at what Natsu did for Lucy last night! Isn't it so _romantic._ "

"Oi, Wendy! Don't say it like that! It's embarrassing when you put it that way!"

Mom laughs at her enthusiasm and, I can only assume, my embarrassment but watches the video anyway, with dad watching over her shoulder. I leave the den for the time being but keep an eye on them from the couch up the stairs while I pet and hang out with Happy.

I see my mom lean over and whisper something into Lucy's ear and then Lucy smile and nod saying "yeah, that's exactly what Wendy said to me earlier... I think I may have an idea..."

What is she talking about?

* * *

After the short clip finishes, Grandeeney leans over towards me, telling me to come closer. Then she whispers "I'm sorry this is so quiet and close but I don't want Natsu to hear since I know he has incredible hearing."

I nod and giggle at how well she knows Natsu.

She continues, "he's really good! I never knew he was so talented."

"Yeah, that's exactly what Wendy said to me earlier," I state.

She smiles proudly, "that's my girl. So what else did she say?"

I reply in a hushed tone, "she said that others should see how talented he is and that he shouldn't keep his songs locked up in a book in his bedroom where no one gets to hear them."

She nods, "I agree, but how will that work?"

"I think I may have an idea..." I say a little excited.

* * *

A little while later, I excuse myself saying, "I should really get going. It was good to see both of you again, Grandeeney and Igneel but I have to get to work and I was going to bring a few more things from the house over for Plue since you guys are willing to keep him here until his leg completely heals."

"Of course, dear," Grandeeney says without hesitation, " as I said before, you (and Plue) are like family to us."

I hug both Grandeeney and Wendy goodbye for now while Ingeel ruffles my hair and chuckles. Strangely, I do the same thing to Plue, giving him love pats and belly rubs while he slobbers all over my face, saying goodbye. Once he's done, Natsu walks me out.

"Hey Luce, be careful when you go home later. If your father's home and he does anything to hurt you and I'm not there, I don't know what I'd do with myself," Natsu says with fear and worry in his voice.

I wrap my arms around him, resting the side of my face against his chest, "Natsu, don't worry. I'll be careful, okay?"

I look up at him, noticing he's still looking at me concerned.

"Hey, don't forget that I've dealt with him by myself for most of my life. I'm a tough chick, Natsu. I can handle him."

"You're a what?" he asks.

I stick my tongue out, giggling at him after I repeat, "I'm a tough chick."

He chuckles at my dorkiness and kisses the top of my head before turning to head back inside.

He stops for a second, saying "oh, I almost forgot to ask you, Luce, but would you like to come with us camping next weekend?"

"Camping?" I ask, "Who's 'us'?"

"Well, it'd be me, Gray, and Erza, like it's been for the past few years. And surprisingly, Gray also suggested we take Wendy too now that she's old enough," he smiles.

"Sure! Sounds like fun!"

"Cool beans," he nods.

I laugh, "Okay, now who's the dork?"

***.***.***.***

When I arrive home a little while later, I notice something odd about the front of the house. There are no cars here. It seems father is out, which isn't surprising, but what is surprising is that there are no cars in sight at all. I don't even see Virgo's car. Huh, maybe she's out. Oh well, I won't be home for too much longer anyway.

I make my way inside, letting my old tutor Capricorn know that if Virgo was looking for me, to tell her that I went to work and not to worry. Then, I make my way up the stairs to my room to change my clothes, grabbing a spare set for later (just in case). I replace the clothes I had in my bag from yesterday and put those in the hamper to be washed before I hurry back down the stairs and into the kitchen with my bag.

Once there, I grab the bag of doggy biscuits for Plue and his water and food bowl. Then I pack some of his food in a medium-sized Tupperware container, which I immediately put in a plastic bag along with his treats.

"Oh crap!" I shout, realizing I almost forgot Plue's dog bed. He can't sleep on Zeref's bed forever, after all. I run back up the stairs quickly, panting when I make it back up to the top and into my room.

I grab the dog bed and huff, turning right back around so I can go back down the stairs and into the kitchen with everything else. Now that I have everything Plue needs and my fresh outfit, I walk to Fairy Tail. I really hope Mira and Makarov won't mind if I leave all this stuff upstairs until later. Maybe I can call Natsu and ask him to come and pick them up from the restaurant later.

"Or... " I say out loud as I think nostalgically. I have an idea...

"Hnngh" I whine, "but that means I have to go back upstairs...Ugh," remembering where I left my laptop.

I run back upstairs for the third time now and grab my laptop, quickly logging into IT2U. I see that Natsu is, in fact, logged on. Or at least he's got his computer on, anyway. It's been forever since I've talked with him in the chatroom. Oh, the memories.

I'm about to send him a "hey, what's up" when I realize the time. I send it anyway and close the laptop, deciding to take that with me to Fairy Tail as well. Then, I dash back down the stairs with my laptop and add it and its charger to my bag of clothes.

Now that I really do have _everything,_ I run out the door and head to Fairy Tail.

* * *

Since Lucy left a little while ago, I decided to bring Plue upstairs to my room and put on some anime to watch. I turn on my computer, logging in to my account when I see I have a message on IT2U.

"Huh, that's weird. The only person I talk to on there is Luce and we haven't chatted like that in months."

I pull up the chatroom, seeing that the message is actually from Lucy.

 ***.***

 _Starlia784_ : Hey, Sal :P What's up?

 ***.***

"Oh, well this is surprising and kinda weird."

 ***.***

 _firebreath777_ : uhhhh, you ok luce?

 ***.***

* * *

I get to Fairy Tail a while later. Actually much later than I planned. My shift is going to start in fifteen minutes and I still have to drop all of this stuff off upstairs.

"Hey, Mira!" I shout as I push the door open with my shoulder.

"Hey, Lucy. Long time no- Whoa! You have a lot of stuff there. Here, let me help you bring all that upstairs," she offers, noticing where I'm going with it.

I accept her offer graciously, handing her the dog bed and bowls. I take the food and treats along with my bag and we make our way up the stairs.

"Ugh, I'm really starting to hate stairs..." I huff when we're about halfway up.

Mira giggles at my comment before asking, "what's all this for anyway?"

"Oh, it's kind of a long story. It has to do with my father and my dog..." I explain using the least amount of detail possible.

"Basically, my father had my housekeeper 'teach my dog a lesson' which resulted in her abusing him enough to give him a broken hind leg," I explain sadly.

"Oh no," Mira gasps.

"Yeah... anyway, I was hoping to keep all this here until later. My dog, Plue is staying at Natsu's house until his leg heals and I already brought over a few things for him for the time being but I don't know how long he's gonna stay there so I want to make him as happy and comfortable as possible until he's all better."

"Oh," Mira says, with an 'I finally get it' tone in her voice, "so you're gonna bring this all to Natsu's later?"

"Well, I was actually hoping he could come and get some of it later to help me," I admit.

"OH! That reminds me, I have to ask him," I tell Mira as we put everything down on one of the beds in the 'infirmary' upstairs.

"I'll let you be. Just make sure to come down in ten minutes, okay?" Mira says as she smiles sweetly.

I smile back at her and she leaves while I pull my laptop out of my bag, open it up and log in again. I laugh to myself when I read the message Natsu sent me a little while ago. I lie down on one of the beds for a few minutes while I message Natsu back.


	45. Chapter 45

***.***

 _Starlia784_ : Lol

 _Starlia784_ : I'm fine Natsu

 _Starlia784_ : just feeling a little nostalgic that's all

 _Starlia784_ : :D

Whatever you say, Luce.

 _firebreath777_ : okay...

 _firebreath777_ : whatever u say... star ;P

 _Starlia784_ : :-| Anyway...

 _firebreath777_ : yes?

 _Starlia784_ : I'm at FT and I don't have much time since my shift starts soon

 _Starlia784_ : but I was wondering if you could do me a favor

 _firebreath777_ : sure, Luce!

 _firebreath777_ : What's up?

 _Starlia784_ : could you maybe stop by in a couple of hours and pick up some things for Plue?

 _firebreath777_ : where?

 _firebreath777_ : at Fairy Tail?

 _Starlia784_ : yeah

 _Starlia784_ : when I went home I got a whole bunch of stuff together for plue and took it to work with me so I could take it straight to your place when I was finished with my shift

 _Starlia784:_ I was planning on bringing it to your house by myself later but I realized on my way to the restaurant that plan wasn't gonna work

 _Starlia784:_ I barely got here on time because all of the stuff weighed me down

 _Starlia784:_ If you could come by a little later and take like... half of it home for me that would be great!

 _firebreath777:_ Of course!

 _Starlia784:_ Thanks!

 _Starlia784:_ You're the best, Natsu!

 _firebreath777_ : I know ;P

 _Starlia784:_ lol jerk :P

 _Starlia784:_ Oh shoot!

 _Starlia784:_ I gotta go

 _Starlia784:_ Mira's gonna be looking for me

 _Starlia784:_ Bye Natsu!

 _Starlia784_ : See ya later! :-*

 ***.***

Well, I guess I'm heading to Fairy Tail in a little bit.

* * *

I feel better now, knowing that Natsu's coming and I don't have to worry about Plue's stuff anymore. However, now I must go downstairs and start working... or else Makarov's not gonna be happy and I don't get paid.

When I finally arrive at the bottom of the staircase, I am greeted by a smiling Mira as she is setting up a microphone stand and television monitor.

"Need some help?" I offer, leaning over so I can see her face as I ask her.

"Oh, Lucy! You're here! Perfect timing!" Mira shouts. "Here, hold this here for a moment while I go get something else to hold it up," she says quickly, dashing to the supply closet at the other end of the dining area.

"Uhhh, okay sure," I reply a little confused as I take her place holding the monitor upright so it doesn't fall backward and crack. They really should make these stands better.

I hear some things fall and crash in the closet while Mira's searching.

"You okay in there, Mira?!" I shout across the room so she can hear me.

I hear her let out a yelp similar to the ones Plue makes as more things crash before she shouts back, "oh, I'm fine Lucy. No need to worry!"

"Are you sure?!" I ask, raising an eyebrow in her direction (even though she can't see it).

"Yeah, of course!" she says, smiling while she runs back to relieve me of my duty.

Once we have the monitor balanced, we start working on getting the microphone and monitor hooked up to a computer and a set of speakers.

"Hey, Mira, what's all this for?" I finally ask once we take a break from running around like chickens without heads.

She giggles, "Master Makarov got the idea from his old friend Bob that founded and runs Blue Pegasus a few towns over to try having either karaoke night or open mic night... ing like that here at Fairy Tail!"

"Oh, fun!"

She nods excitedly, "oh yeah! If this works out the way he plans, we may do this on a regular basis. This is just all so exciting!"

I finish helping Mira set up the sound system and laptop for the songs until everything is just how she imagined. Oh, I really hope this works out the way Makarov hopes because I definitely have an idea brewing.

* * *

I open the doors of what I thought was my favorite restaurant Fairy Tail, but maybe I have the wrong place. I could've sworn that the sign outside said Fairy Tail, but why is there a makeshift stage and mic in the front... and what the hell happened to the tables?!

"Ummm..." I hear a familiar, timid voice say from the direction of the stage. "I'm a little nervous since I've never done this before, but I hope you like this song..." I smile to myself as I look towards the stage. "It's one of my favorites."

She nods to the makeshift DJ/Announcer for the night, Max, who types something into the computer in front of him. He gives her a thumbs up and she smiles as the music starts,

 **"Fairy, where you going?  
We'll gather the light along the way,  
and make it shine upon a brand new day."**

Yeah, she's been spending too much time with Gajeel. I gotta tell him to stop influencing her. She was just fine the way she was... smol, sweet, and nerdy with just a little bit of spunk, but this. This is way too much spunk, even for her.

 **"Can you hear the voices calling you yet?"**

She is good, though.

 **"It's raw and hoarse from screaming out to you."**

She is REALLY good, actually.

 **"But it won't give up until you can answer it."**

"Huh, not what I was expecting..." I admit, honestly.

"Yo, Salamander! What're you doing ogling my woman?!"

 **"Though all this time has passed, I still remember"**

Oh shit...

"Uhhhh... Gajeel! So nice to see ya cuz! How's it going?" I ask smiling wide.

 **"The sun and moon and how they shine together"**

"It'd be better if you'd keep your eyes off my Shrimp," he growls.

 **"It feels so strange when you are not here with me"**

"Oh yeah?!" I challenge, "And what if I don't wanna!"

 **"I need your smile just to keep me going"**

"Then you're gonna get a face full of iron, fire boy!"

 **"My heart, it's snowing  
I'm trying my best to smile"  
**

"Can it, rivet face!"

 **"Slowly, it's warming  
This fate is linking your heart with mine."  
**

Soon I hear the wrath of Mira, "HEY! If you two boys don't behave, you're both outta here until you calm down, got it?!"

 **"We'll gather the light along the way"**

"Oh... y-yes, Ma'am!" Gajeel and I salute Mira simultaneously as if she's Erza. When she leaves, we both shiver in terror before getting back to our staring contest.

"Gah! What the hell am I doing just standing here arguing with this lug nut, anyway?! I should be looking for Lucy!"

 **"And make it shine upon a brand new day"**

Gajeel growls at me but I ignore him as usual.

Hmmm...maybe Lucy's upstairs...

* * *

 **"Breaking like the waves on the shore of the ocean"**

What's with all the commotion downstairs? It's so loud, I can hear barely hear the music over it.

Huh, Maybe I should go check it out.

 **"Cherishing that rainbow we saw together"**

I look out over the banister for a moment before I make my way to the top of the stairs.

 **"It's strange but when you smile I feel much stronger"**

When I get there, I hear Mira giving a final warning to some of the boys and I can only assume Natsu's involved. Maybe he was fighting Gray?

 **"I'm trembling, but now you're here"**

I don't know... Those two are always causing trouble anyway, so I wouldn't be too surprised if it _is_ them.

 **"So now fairy, slowly but surely you're walking your way"**

I sigh, "it's a good thing Mira's here to discipline them. If she wasn't here, I'd be calling Erza or worse, doing it myself."

I walk down the stairs anyway, returning from my short break and I look over at the makeshift stage and smile when I see my petite bluenette friend singing her heart out.

" **I've forgotten how it goes,**  
 **teach me how to love**  
 **because your smile is like a magic spell**  
 **you could change the world, I know**  
 **'cause you've surely changed mine**  
 **and that's why you are my fairy** "

I'm pulled out of my daze and shake my head when I hear "Lucy!"

 **"** **Slowly, it's warming**  
 **as fate is linking your life with mine"**

Huh? Natsu?

 **"We'll gather the light along the way"**

I turn to my right to see Natsu walking towards me.

* * *

 **"In my heart, it's snowing"**

I found her.

 **"because it was you**  
 **Because my fairy, it was you"**

I motion for Lucy to follow me upstairs so we can talk.

 **"Here in my hands, I hold it gently"**

She nods and after a few seconds, we head up the stairs together.

 **"Snow Fairy,**  
 **Don't say goodbye!"**

"So what'd you want me to take home?" I ask once we move away from the roaring applause following Levy's performance.

"Oh, yeah!" She exclaims, suddenly remembering why she asked me to come and meet her here.

"I brought food and treats for Plue. They're in the bags next to the bed over there," Lucy says, walking into the bedroom and pointing to the pile of stuff she brought.

"Oh, and I'll bring his bowls and bed when I come by later. The food and treats were just so heavy I don't think I could take them all the way to your house from here by myself," she giggles.

"Whoa, Luce! How'd ya even manage to bring all this _here_ by yourself?!"

"It wasn't easy, that's for sure," she mumbles.

* * *

"I'll take the food and treats home, don't worry," he says grinning his signature wide grin.

I sigh, relieved, "Thanks, Natsu. You're a lifesaver!"

He laughs, "o' course Luce! Anytime!"

Natsu leaves with the heavy bags, taking a _huge_ weight off of my shoulders... literally. Just as he leaves with everything, Mira enters with a suspiciously naughty grin on her face.

"Mira~?! What's with the face?"

"Oh, nothing..." she deflects rather quickly before asking, "so, did anything happen with Natsu up here? I watched you follow him up the stairs..."

"No, Mira... nothing happened. We weren't even up here that long to have anything happen. You saw him leave with the bags, right?"

She nods and sighs sadly.

"Hey, if you want something to ogle over, take a look at this," I say showing Mira the video from last night.

"It's only like, a minute long, but I thought you'd want to see this, knowing your personality."

After a few seconds into watching the video, Mira starts smiling so wide, I'm afraid her face is going to get stuck like that.

"Oh, My Lord, this is amazing! Oh! I have to show this to Makarov! Come with me, IMMEDIATELY!" Mira shouts, ecstatically dragging me along by the wrist.

"Hold up, Mira! Can we take Levy with us? I have to talk to her and I'm not sure if she's still here or not!" I explain as I'm trying to catch up with her.

"Oh, sure! She just finished up on stage, so she might be at the bar," Mira suggests.

I nod 'thanks' to her as she releases her hold on my wrist, letting me go find Levy.

***.***.***.***

"LEVY!" I scream at my small, bluenette friend causing her to jump in her seat at the bar.

I run up to her and give her a hug, yelling "You were SO GOOD up there! I loved it!"

"Thanks, Lu- Wah! Where are we going?!" she asks as I pull her wrist and get her butt out of the seat it was previously occupying.

"I love you Lev, but I'm sorry to cut you off. I really want to talk to you but I also think you're gonna wanna see what Mira wants to show Makarov. I think you'd like it," I apologize, dragging Levy along behind me as I head back upstairs to Makarov's office.


End file.
